I have written many times on this blog that I do not ascend the Temple Mount because my rabbis here in Israel have ruled that it is forbidden to do so until there is a sacrificed red heifer's ashes that can make us pure from the impurity of coming into contact with the dead (yes, that's the reason).
However, others do ascend to certain parts of the Mount, and this morning, two Jews had the audacity to prostrate themselves before God on the Mount in order to fulfill the command to bow before God on the Temple grounds on the three holidays (Pesach, Shavuot and Succot). Watch what happens.
Let's go to the videotape.
Can you imagine any other country in the world where everyone but the majority would have freedom of worship?
Autopsy confirms: Terrorist Abu Ein died of a heart attack
An autopsy attended by 'Palestinian,' Jordanian and Israeli doctors has confirmed that terrorist Zeid Abu Ein died of a heart attack which began at a violent demonstration on Wednesday.
Initially, Hussein
al-Sheikh, a top Palestinian official, told Reuters that Jordanian and
Palestinian doctors involved in the late night examination of the body
said Ziad Abu Ein, 55, had died from being struck, inhaling tear gas and
not receiving prompt medical attention.
However, the report, being led by Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli
pathologists, said the death was caused by blockage in the coronary
artery, and there were signs of light internal bleeding and localized
pressure on the neck.
The deceased suffered from heart disease, and there was evidence that
plaque buildup were clogging more than 80% of his blood vessels, as
well as signs that he had suffered heart attacks in the past.
Dr. Hen Kugel, the
Israeli doctor who took part in the autopsy, told Ynet that the report
was not final and that they were awaiting on the return of some tests,
however "we know what happended there – he died from a heart attack. He
had significant blockage of the arteries and his heart was in bad shape.
When they grabbed his neck it caused massive stress which led to
bleeding and then full blockage which is what killed him."
"There is no disagreement with the Palestinians about this, the only
thing we still need to find out about is wounding to his front teeth,
tongue and windpipe. These could be a result of resuscitation attempts
or an attack as the Palestinians claim, but it doesn’t matter, he died
because of his heart and stress," Dr. Kugel said.
But the 'Palestinians' will blame Israel anyway, and this will be another excuse for incitement to violence anyway.
Border police officer indicted for beating 'Palestinian'-American, victim's uncle calls it a 'cover-up'
A border police officer has been indicted for beating Tariq Abu Khder, the cousin of Mohammed Abu Khder who was set alight and murdered in the Jerusalem forest over the summer. The identity of the police officer remains under cover. Meanwhile, Abu Khder's uncle claims that indictment is an attempt at a cover-up.
The policeman, whose name remains under a gag order, was indicted at Jerusalem magistrate's court on Wednesday for using "excessive force" that could not be justified against Tariq Abu Khder at a July 3 demonstration in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat.
According to a justice ministry statement, "evidence was found supporting the guilt of the police officer suspected of severe violent crimes, committed after the arrest of the minor, who was handcuffed at the time."
Tariq Abu Khder, who was arrested first for attacking a police
officer during Jerusalem's riots in early July, has denied taking part
in the demonstration at all, saying he was "only an observer" but fled when police "began chasing suspects," as well as claiming that he "fell and was cuffed and beaten."
A YouTube video showing Israeli border police beating and kicking a handcuffed semi-conscious figure on the ground before dragging him away sparked a US State Department call for a "speedy, transparent and credible investigation."
An uncle of Tariq, who has since returned home to Florida, called the indictment a "cover up" of the beating and an Israeli attempt to appease the United States.
"If Tariq wasn't an American citizen we would have never seen an investigation," Yassin Abu Khder told AFP, noting that his nephew was attacked by a "group" of policemen who had also "attacked dozens of other kids."
"But we won't see any further indictment because those kids are not American citizens," he added.
We won't see any further indictments for a different reason. The border police has the largest percentage of 'minority group members' (i.e. Arabs) of any Israeli security force. I would bet dollars to doughnuts that the officer indicted was an Arab and that's why it is being kept under raps. You want us to indict a few more Arabs for beating those kids? Sure. Then you deal with the riots and the claims that it's all a cover-up.
Breaking: Border police stop car bomb at Beitar Ilit checkpoint
A car with Israeli license plates pulled up to the Beitar Ilit checkpoing on Route 375 on Sunday morning in a very suspicious manner. Police stopped the car and discovered a powerful bomb inside.
The security forces identified the vehicle as it was approaching the
checkpoint and thought it seemed suspicious that the driver was
traveling especially slowly.
The driver was asked to stop the vehicle.
"He was acting suspiciously, so we had to question him," the officer responsible for the checkpoint said.
Prior to his arrest the suspect stalled when he was asked to turn off the engine of his vehicle.
At
this point, a border policeman put his hand on the keys to turn the
vehicle off and the suspect began to drive while half of the policeman's
body remained inside.
After the vehicle proceeded for a few
meters, the policeman drew his loaded personal weapon and pointed his
gun at the suspect, ordering him to stop.
After the suspect was
arrested, the security forces noticed he was wearing a wig. At this
point they discovered the powerful device in the vehicle.
Border Police sappers were called to the scene to neutralize the device. The suspect was taken in for questioning.
Route 375 is a back road from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem. The checkpoint is just north of Beitar Ilit, one of the largest Jewish cities in Judea and Samaria. Typically, police waive Israeli vehicles through the checkpoints. Fortunately, this time they did not.
15-year old Tariq Abu Khadr, who was seen in a video (pictured above, video at link) allegedly being beaten by Israeli border police, has been sentenced to nine days of house arrest at his relatives' home in the Jerusalem suburb of Beit Hanina.
Israeli police say an American teenager who was detained during
violent protests over the killing of a Palestinian youth has been
brought before a court.
Abu
Khdeir's parents say their son, who goes to school in Florida, was
beaten by Israeli police during clashes over the killing of Mohammed Abu Khdeir who Palestinians suspect was killed by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack. The two young men are cousins.
Police
say Tariq Abu Khdeir resisted arrest, attacked officers and was
carrying a slingshot for lobbing stones when he was arrested.
The U.S. State Department said it was "profoundly troubled" by reports of his beating and demanded an investigation.
US citizen beaten by Israeli police, State Department wakes up, demands investigation
Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.
The US State Department didn't seem very interested when US citizen Naftali Frenkel HY"D (May God Avenge his blood) was kidnapped and murdered by 'Palestinian' terrorists. But now they're determined to atone for it. A US citizen was captured on tape being beaten by Israeli border police this week and the State Department has gone ballistic. You might ask what changed since June 12. One thing that has changed is that this kid is a 'Palestinian.' In fact, he's a cousin of the 'Palestinian' who was murdered last week - probably by family members for being gay. This is from the first link.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki named the youth as Tariq
Khdeir, 15. He was a cousin of Muhammed Abu Khdeir, a 16-year-old
Palestinian whose burned body was found Wednesday in the Jerusalem
Forest. Khdeir was visited by a U.S. consulate official, the statement
said.
"We
are profoundly troubled by reports that he was severely beaten while in
police custody and strongly condemn any excessive use of force," Psaki
said. "We are calling for a speedy, transparent and credible
investigation and full accountability for any excessive use of force."
"We
reiterate our grave concern about the increasing violent incidents, and
call on all sides to take steps to restore calm and prevent harm to
innocents," it added.
Khdeir,
according reports in Orlando, Florida, is a high school sophomore in
Tampa, who was visiting his Palestinian relatives in Shuafat, Jerusalem,
for the first time in over a decade when he was beaten and detained.
The incident took place on Thursday outside the home of the murdered
teenager, said to be his cousin. The Forward quoted the Council on
American-Islamic Relations as saying that he suffered serious injuries
in the beating and is being held under police guard at Hadassah Hospital
in Jerusalem.
Khdeir is due to be brought before a judge in Jerusalem on Sunday, Ma'an news agency reported.
The kid was beaten during a protest outside his house - at least he wasn't beaten in a police station - but he was handcuffed and on the ground. Haaretz reports that three border police officers beat the boy - I actually only saw one sitting on him and one hitting him until the end when they start to drag him away.
I'm going to embed the video below (sorry if YouTube makes you sign in to watch it) because I want to make a couple of other points about it.
Let's go to the videotape.
I don't know how anyone can tell from watching the video that those are border police and not rioters. Their faces are covered with ski masks and they don't seem to be wearing the border police's khaki uniforms. The police have not take responsibility for this, but they are investigating.
I have pointed out in the past that the border police are full of 'minorities' (Bedouin and Druze and that they have also been involved in violence against Jews in the past. If I had to pick a unit that was likely to do this sort of thing, it would be the border police. Assuming that they did it, it's still no excuse for Israel's government and police department, and heads ought to roll.
The video shows two Border Policemen arresting a rioter and
attempting to put him in their jeep. However, he resists the arrest, and
a group of his comrades presses up against the policemen, confident in
the knowledge that they chance they will be fire upon is next to nil.
The Border Police struggle valiantly with their captive as they are
surrounded by the mob and eventually have no choice but to let him
escape. Toward the end of the video, one of them expresses anger toward a
third policeman, who appears to have been nearby the whole time but
preferred to stay out of the confrontation.
And what has made the 'Palestinians' fearless?
Leftist infiltration of Israel's court system has led to a situation in
which even firing rubber bullets requires permission from high-ranking
officers, and the slightest use of force is pounced upon by the media,
which demands that the soldier involved be punished.
This leads to what's called Rosh Katan (literally, small head) syndrome in which everyone wants to put their head down and finish their service without getting into trouble.
Shocking video: Muslim savages attack Jewish children on the Temple Mount
Once again, a reminder that I do not ascend the Temple Mount because my rabbis do not permit it.
In this deeply disturbing video, you will see a group of children and their escorts attacked on the Temple Mount by Muslims - women, and men who are presumably over the age of 50, who all carry Israeli ID cards and are therefore considered 'safe.' Eventually, the group is evacuated from the Mount by the green-clad border police. At one point in the video, you can hear someone distinctly yelling 'lo l'fached' (don't be afraid) as if the children are escaping a natural disaster or a storm.
My sources claim that the children are Belzer Hasidim - I have not been able to confirm that.
There is supposed to be a version with English captions. I have not seen it yet, but will update to post it if I do.
What's 'shocking' about this video is not that the children were attacked, but that the police think the answer is to stand by and do nothing. The border police are a paramilitary police unit, and are supposed to be among our toughest.
During the intermediate days of the Holiday, we go to the Kotel (Western Wall) - once during Pesach and every day during Sukkoth. Today was our day for Pesach.
As we were leaving, there were a large number of border police at the top of the ramp to the Mughrabi gate, and a long line of Jews and tourists waiting at the bottom to ascend. My sons asked why so many border police at 7:30 am on the holiday, and I explained that there had been riots over the past week, and that the Muslims were probably trying to prevent Jews and tourists from ascending the Mount. It turns out that we left just in time.
According to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, the violence began as
officers stationed at Mughrabi Gate unlocked the passageway at
approximately 7:45 a.m.
"Police units immediately went to the top of the mount and used stun grenades to secure the scene," he said.
"Officers stayed there for an hour to ensure order and visitation continued as scheduled."
Rosenfeld said there were no injuries reported and arrests are expected later in the day.
The violence comes three days after two police officers sustained light
injuries upon opening the Temple Mount’s Mughrabi Gate entrance for
visitation, when a throng of Palestinians threw rocks and Molotov
cocktails at them.
At least this time, the police apparently gained control of the situation.
Only in Israel: Police say 'operationally difficult' to wear name tags
Here's a reminder (above) of why Israeli police should be required to wear name tags. But the police claim that doing so is 'operationally difficult' (it would make it too easy to identify police who are violating the rights of private citizens). The Knesset was meant to vote on a bill requiring name tags on Sunday.
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.
The video you're about to see below shows Israeli border police tasering Yitzhar resident Boaz Albert. Albert, a father of six, was served with an administrative order forbidding his presence in Judea and and Samaria on August 15. This video was shot that night in Albert's home.
For the Hebrew-impaired, the shouts you hear are:
1. (Apparently Albert's wife) asking to let her remove one of the children so that he does not see his father electric-shocked.
2. Albert himself asking why they are breaking his hand and electrocuting him when he is not resisting arrest.
3. (Apparently a neighbor) asking why is he being dragged out - what has he done.
I don't know what's behind the administrative order, but this video, which has been seen by many here in Israel, is having an effect.
National Police Chief Yochanan Danino suspended the use of tasers by police
while investigators from the police operational branch examine their use by
officers.
The appointment of the investigative team on Sunday follows the arrest
Thursday night of settler Boaz Albert, carried out by YASSAM officers from the
Judea and Samaria District police. The officers delivered electric shocks to
Albert's chest as he lay on his back in his home surrounded by
police.
...
MK Orit Struck (Bayit Yehudi) on Saturday night said that
such administrative restraining orders must be stopped, because they are issued
without any judicial procedures and without any explanation.
In 2007, the
Knesset plenum approved a declaration against administrative restraining orders
issued without judicial procedures, Struck said. It garnered support from many
of the parties in the Knesset including Likud, Kadima, Shas, United Torah
Judaism, Yisrael Beitenu, National Union, Labor and Meretz, Struck
said.
But, she said, the Knesset’s declaration must now be turned into
law.
“I call on everyone who cares about human rights to protest against
the arrest of Boaz Albert whose only crime is his conscientious and justified
refusal to obey an administrative detention order that is anti-democratic and
immoral,” she said.
...
Judea and Samaria police said on Thursday
night, that the district's YASSAM unit tried to arrest Albert when another man
appeared and attempted to prevent the arrest. The decision was made to use force
and a taser was used against him, a spokesman said.
“Boaz Albert did not
resist arrest,” the spokesman added.
On Friday, police described the
incident as follows: “Last night, officers from the Judea and Samaria District’s
YASSAM unit carried out an arrest of a person violating an administrative
restraining order for the third time. In the video you can see that it has been
edited and is biased, but if we ignore that we can still observe the police
conducting themselves with determination and without the use of violence, in
keeping with regulations.”
What a load of lies. They used a taser gun to arrest a suspect who was not resisting who was served with an order that was never brought before a judge. 'Without the use of violence'? Watch the video (which deserves to go viral) again for yourselves.
A District Court in Lod ordered Albert
released on Friday, but his restraining order still stands.
...
Attorney Yitzhak Baum wrote a
letter to the police said that according to the law, the gun could only be used
when a suspect is resisting arrest.
“In this case, the suspect is lying
on the floor and did not resist arrest,” Baum wrote.
And you thought Israel was a democracy....
In the aftermath of the Rabin assassination, administrative detentions were widely used against the opponents of Oslo. This Wikipedia article gives the impression that they are only used against 'Palestinians,' but that's just not so.
The legal basis for Israel's use of Administrative Detention is the British Mandate 1945 Law on Authority in States of Emergency' as amended in 1979. Administrative detention is often used for indefinite detention of Palestinian political prisoners.[20] According to Addameer, Israel held 285 Palestinians in administrative detention in June 2012.[21] Eighteen of them were members of parliament, out of 4,706 political prisoners. According to B'Tselem, as of April 2012, about 308 Palestinians were being held under administrative detention by the Israel Prisons Service and statistics on those held by the IDF were unavailable.[22] According to the Israel Prison Service figures for December 2012, 178 Palestinians were being held in administrative detention (without charge or trial).[23] Administrative detention seems to be mainly used by Israel against individuals not engaged in violent activities.[24]
Administrative detention is also used in cases where the available
evidence consists of information obtained by the security services
(particularly the Shin Bet), and where a trial would reveal sensitive security information, such as the identities of informers or infiltrators.
Although it is commonly applied to alleged Palestinian militants, it
has in the past also a few times been applied to Jewish Israeli
citizens, including Jewish right-wing public-figures and activists (e.g.
in the aftermath of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin) and in more recent years sometimes to settlers for short periods.[25]
Within Israel,
the Defense Minister has the authority to issue Administrative
Detention orders for up to 6 months in cases where there is a reasonable
chance that the person harms the security of the state. The same
Minister has the authority to renew such orders. Likewise, the Chief of
the General Staff can issue such orders, but valid for only 48 hours.
Law enforcement authorities have to show cause within 48 hours (in a
hearing behind closed doors).
Administrative Detention orders can be
appealed to the District Court and, if denied there, to the Supreme Court of Israel.
The District Court can annul such orders if it finds the administrative
detention occurred for reasons other than security (e.g., common
crimes, or the exercise of freedom of expression). Overall supervisory
authority on the application of the relevant law rests with the Minister
of Justice.
Within the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
any local army commander can issue an administrative detention order,
and the order can be appealed at the local military court, or, if denied
there, at the Supreme Court. Here too, an administrative detention
order is valid for at most six months, but can be renewed by the
appropriate authority. Israel refers its use of administrative detention
in the occupied territories to Article 78 of the Fourth Geneva Convention
1949, which states that "If the Occupying Power considers it necessary,
for imperative reasons of security, to take safety measures concerning
protected persons, it may, at the most, subject them to assigned
residence or to internment."[26]
In the aftermath of the Rabin assassination, I argued with someone that administrative detention should be abolished. Yes, even for 'Palestinians.' It's nothing but an excuse for prosecutorial laziness. If you want to hold someone, charge him with something. If you can't charge him with something, you shouldn't hold him. Judges hear 'secret evidence' all the time in every western country. And orders telling people to stay away from certain areas ought to be only to protect persons in those areas (e.g. abused spouses) and not because the police want to punish a man by keeping him away from his own home.
One other thing that should be pointed out. The Yassam unit of the border police is notorious for brutality and for its membership largely consisting of 'minorities' (Druze and Bedouin Arabs who are less than sympathetic to Israeli Jews). They were the perpetrators of the Amona incident seven years ago. Sadly, the government has done nothing to curb their brutality since. It's time for that to change.
And you thought Israel was a democracy? Well, it's still the closest thing to a democracy in the Middle East, but it's government is less than representative and its 'civil rights' leave a lot to be desired. Even for Jews.
A reminder of the neighborhood in which we live....
A female IDF soldier shot a Palestinian terrorist who pulled a gun on
another IDF soldier near Ma’arat HaMachpelah (The Tomb of the
Patriarchs) in Hebron.
Arabs are currently rioting in the area.
The attack occurred at “Circle 160″ when a Palestinian walking
towards the border police position roused suspicion of the border police
on guard.
One of the border policemen asked the man to identify himself, at
which point the Palestinian terrorist pulled a gun and pointed it at the
border policeman’s head. A female border policewoman also manning the
position then shot the terrorist, killing him.
The 'Palestinians' are now claiming that the gun pulled by the terrorist was not a real gun. If so, he deserves a Darwin Award.
Video: SWAT team commander orders officers to shoot Jewish teenagers during Migron expulsion
My apologies in advance - this deeply disturbing video is in Hebrew with Hebrew-only subtitles. If I find it in English, I will repost it.
In this video, you will see five teenage boys, who look to be about 14-16, on the roof of a 'caravan' in Migron, the Jewish outpost whose residents were expelled last week. An officer of the SWAT team that came to expel the Jews (most of whom had already left) orders his officers to kill the boys, but the officers say they won't do it because there are cameras there.
Toward the end, as the boys are being shoved into a police van, the commander says to one of the boys that he's lucky there were cameras there, and another boy asked what would have happened if there were no cameras there. The officers pull the commander away.
Let's go to the videotape.
At the very end, there's a story that MK Michael Ben Ari has called for indicting the police commander who ordered his officers to kill the boys. There's a similar story in English here, which includes a much longer version of the video seen above.
The protesters had gathered on the roof of one of the structures in the area. Residents did not offer any resistance to the eviction, and there were no reports of exceptional incidents or violent resistance on the part of anyone, resident or protester. The protesters on the roof shouted slogans against the eviction and in support of the continued Jewish presence at the site.
Police, meanwhile, gathered around the roof, demanding that the protesters leave. They refused, and the tones police used to demand that they leave grew progressively harsher, until police started shouting “pull them down off the roof,” and “kill them.” One officer is seen telling a youth “come over here. You're dead, you're going to die" (the incident can be seen about 12 minutes into the video, linked below).
About 8 protesters were arrested. One of the detained youths reported that the officer who took him in told him that he was “lucky that he was caught on film,” leaving to the imagination what would have happened o him if he had not been so “lucky.”
In a statement, police said that the eviction of Migron residents and protesters “had been conducted with cooperation of all, ensuring the privacy and dignity of residents.” The protesters, whom police said had gathered on the roof the night before the eviction and had poured liquids off the roof in order to “defend” themselves, were removed legally. “In the event that a complaint is filed regarding improper behavior by police, it will be dealt with accordingly,” the statement said.
Commenting on the video, MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) demanded that the threatening officers be suspended or removed from the force altogether. In a letter to Public Security Minister Yitzchak Aharonovich, Ben-Ari wrote that “even if the youths were acting in a manner that made officers very angry, there is no place in the Israel Police for such officers. It would be best if, before legal action is initiated, if the officers in question are removed from contact with the public.”
I guess having video can work both ways, can't it?
Border police officer Refael Cohen is going on trial again - this time for kicking a revenant during an outpost evacuation. No, not the one pictured above. That revenant - whom Cohen has in a chokehold - is Amihai Merhavia HY"D. Merhavia was killed in the battle of Bint Jbeil during the Second Lebanon War and that picture was taken in 2002. In fact, if you go to thnk above, you will see that Merhavia lost consciousness as a result of the 'tender loving care' he received from Cohen.
But Cohen remains with the border police and this time he's going on trial for kicking a woman.
The Police Investigations Unit decided Monday to put on disciplinary trial Israel Police Special Patrol Unit officer Refael Cohen, who is accused of hitting a female settler during the evacuation of West Bank outpost Ramat Migron last October.
Cohen has already had three complaints filed against him in the past, and was forced to pay compensation to a settler whom he beat during an operation in the West Bank.
In footage recorded by Channel 10, Cohan is seen kicking the woman while she is already lying on the ground. Another video shows other officers spraying tear gas at protesters, without any apparent reason.
"We got complaints of officers spraying tear gas on passive protesters, grabbing women in their private parts and pulling protesters by their hair," Orit Struck, director of the Judea and Samaria Human Rights Organization wrote in a complaint filed with the Police Investigations Unit, which led to the launching of an investigation against Cohen.
Three years ago, while evacuating an outpost in the Binyamin area, Cohen was filmed slapping settler Nahum Greenblum, and was put on disciplinary trial following the incident. Cohen also faced a civil lawsuit, and was forced to pay NIS 4,000 in compensations to Greenblum.
In 2002, Cohen was investigated on suspicion that he strangled Amichai Merhavia while evacuating Havat Gilad. Merhavia was killed four years later during the Second Lebanon War. The case was eventually closed.
Not only should this guy pay damages if it turns out he did this - he should be banned from the border police.
By the way, note that all his brutality appears to be directed toward revenants. People who live here will not be surprised by that.
In an earlier post, I reported that three houses in the Jewish village of Migron, which overlooks Route 60, the main north-south highway in Judea and Samaria, were being destroyed by the security forces. As it turns out, there were more than 1,000 border police(!) employed in the operation. (Border police are police who are under the jurisdiction of the IDF. They tend not to include a lot of religious Jewish soldiers, which is why they are used for this purpose).
Around the time I went to sleep, there was some extra drama in the story. The 'Supreme Court' issued an interim injunction against the destruction, but the injunction was lifted just before dawn and the destruction of the homes was carried out.
Let's go to the videotape.
An emergency court injunction received at 2:30 a.m. had initially halted the demolitions just as cranes had arrived at the doorstep of the homes.
nitially the five cranes kept their lights on and their motors running. But after half an hour, they turned them off. The hundreds of Border Police who had stood by the homes with plastic shields and helmets, relaxed their vigilant guard.
Families had already been forced to remove all their belongings from their homes. Sofas, books, tables, chairs and boxes were stacked outside two of the homes. One neighbor sat outside her caravan on the ground in the dark and cried.
"The people in the houses went to the High Court of justice and they gave an order to stop immediately the destruction of the homes until a full hearing is conducted," said Dani Dayan who heads the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
"I understand that the order [to stop the demolitions] was given since there are legal reasons that have real weight," said Dayan as he stood in the outpost, wearing a sweatshirt and holding a document from the court
"The most important thing to understand is that there was no court decision to demolish the homes, there is a commitment by the government," he said.
"I hope the government will reverse its commitment as soon as possible," said Dayan.
He added that he believed the hearing would be held later in the day.
But two hours later, around 4:30 a.m. the injunction was cancelled.
Cranes broke through the walls and the roof of one home, even as workers were pushing a crib out the window of a second.
"But we haven't taken all our stuff out," cried a woman who lived in the house, as she stood watching.
Police tried to assure her that the cranes would only take down the house after her belongings had been removed.
Just prior to the demolitions some 100 teens tried to break through a police barrier next to the house. They pulled back as a group and then rushed the police only to be blocked by the plastic shields. A few teens threw stones. In others instances teens and the police scuffled.
...
nitially the five cranes kept their lights on and their motors running. But after half an hour, they turned them off. The hundreds of Border Police who had stood by the homes with plastic shields and helmets, relaxed their vigilant guard.
Families had already been forced to remove all their belongings from their homes. Sofas, books, tables, chairs and boxes were stacked outside two of the homes. One neighbor sat outside her caravan on the ground in the dark and cried.
"The people in the houses went to the High Court of justice and they gave an order to stop immediately the destruction of the homes until a full hearing is conducted," said Dani Dayan who heads the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip.
"I understand that the order [to stop the demolitions] was given since there are legal reasons that have real weight," said Dayan as he stood in the outpost, wearing a sweatshirt and holding a document from the court
"The most important thing to understand is that there was no court decision to demolish the homes, there is a commitment by the government," he said.
"I hope the government will reverse its commitment as soon as possible," said Dayan.
He added that he believed the hearing would be held later in the day.
But two hours later, around 4:30 a.m. the injunction was cancelled.
Cranes broke through the walls and the roof of one home, even as workers were pushing a crib out the window of a second.
"But we haven't taken all our stuff out," cried a woman who lived in the house, as she stood watching.
Police tried to assure her that the cranes would only take down the house after her belongings had been removed.
Just prior to the demolitions some 100 teens tried to break through a police barrier next to the house. They pulled back as a group and then rushed the police only to be blocked by the plastic shields. A few teens threw stones. In others instances teens and the police scuffled.
According to Chairman of the Binyamin Settlers' Council Itzik Shadmi, "Binyamin demands real justice and not the kind of justice that comes out of the Supreme Court. Bibi is trying to appease the Left after Saturday's social protest rally, divorcing the settlement enterprise in Yesha with his bare hands. He promised that when he would become prime minister, homes would not be destroyed."
MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) said in response, "It fits Bibi to try and divert public opinion from the public protests by beating up on the settlers. There are too many advisors in his bureau that are capable of advising him to harm the settlements while using the 'hit the settlers and save yourself' method."
Migron is the largest and most developed outpost in the West Bank. Over 50 families live in the outpost. About a month ago, Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish and the honorable Miriam Naor and Salim Joubran ruled that the State must evict Migron by March 2012.
In their ruling, the judges noted that the case of Migron "is one of the most difficult and aberrant cases of illegal outposts brought before this court."
Three months ago, the State committed to demolish three permanent structures built in Migron during Passover within 45 days. The decision sparked debate between government officials and Yesha Council representatives, and days before the deadline, Defense Minister Ehud Barak petitioned to the High Court in a request to postpone the demolition due to "operational reasons."
Justices Beinish, Naor and Joubran deplored the State for delaying the demolition of the outpost despite its previous commitments. "You do not have a deadline," said Justice Joubran, "You determine everything by what the residents of Migron and Yesha Council say."
So this is how we solve our housing problem? By creating more homeless Israelis?
Jerusalem police arrest 9th grade immigrant who speaks no Hebrew
Our police may not be as bad as Iran's, but civil rights here aren't what they are in the US either.
Jerusalem police violently broke up a demonstration at the city's entrance on Monday, and a 9th grade immigrant from Spain was arrested. As of Tuesday afternoon, his whereabouts are unknown.
One eyewitness said that police hit a rabbi who was only standing on the sidewalk at the entrance to Jerusalem. Police violently arrested approximately 10 young teenagers from the Mercaz HaRav High School in Jerusalem and three ninth graders from a school in Beit El, in Samaria.
The Spanish immigrant speaks broken Hebrew and his friends are afraid of his fate at the hands of police. They said that no one knows what has happened to him and the other youth who were arrested.
Besides the protests at the entrance to Jerusalem, Women in Green activists fanned out through Judea and Samaria at night and pasted hundreds of stickers that stated in Hebrew, “Bibi, in Chavat Gilad, you have shot yourself in the leg.”
Tuesday morning, the posters were in full view of motorists as nationalist leaders try to reawaken supporters who have become accustomed to demolitions and an erosion of former “red lines” in talks with the Palestinian Authority.
The catalyst for this incident was a border police raid on Gilad's Farm, a Samarian outpost, at 4:00 am on Tuesday, which I blogged here.
Israeli police open fire on Jewish civilians, wound 15; UPDATED with new video
The most amazing thing about this story is that it is not even being reported on Israel Radio. Perhaps that isn't so amazing. It's no secret that Israel Radio is totally Leftist and hates the revenants (what some of you call 'settlers').
Israel's border police - who are largely made up of what is so delicately called 'minorities' (Bedouin and Druze) - shot rubber bullets and tear gas at revenants at Gilad's Farm during a raid that took place at 4:00 am on Monday. Gilad's Farm is an outpost that overlooks Route 60, the main North-South road through Samaria. It is just north of Geva Binyamin and Kochav Yaakov.
Setters claimed that Border Police forces shot rubber bullets and tear gas at them during the demolition of three structures at the unauthorized outpost of Gilad Farm in Samaria on Monday.
According to police, eight settlers were arrested during the clashes that broke out when they entered the outpost in a pre-dawn raid. Settlers claimed that 12 people were bruised by rubber bullets.
Police said they responded only after stones were thrown at them and they understood that a number of settlers had knives and instruments which could be used for stabbing.
Settlers have called for an immediate investigation into the incident. Police said they operated according to the rules of engagement, but they did not respond to the specific charges.
MK Michael Ben Ari (National Union), who was at Gilad Farm, claimed that Border Police pushed him to the ground. He added that he retrieved a rubber bullet from the scene.
Here's video of the incident - decide for yourselves.
Let's go to the videotape.
And for those of you who question whether they really used rubber bullets, over at the Muqata, Joe Settler has pictures of people who were wounded that were taken by Jameel (who was there).
UPDATE 12:07 PM
Israel Radio reports on its 12:00 newscast that the police claim they used paint bullets and not rubber bullets.
UPDATE 8:15 PM
Here's a longer version of the same video, now up on YouTube.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
