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.
Shots were fired at Jerusalem's Pisgat Zev neighborhood on Friday evening from the 'Palestinian refugee camp' in Shuafat.
Before Shabbat began on Friday evening, residents of the northern
Jerusalem neighborhood Pisgat Ze'ev reported to the 100 police emergency
hotline that they heard gunshots from the adjacent Arab neighborhood of
Shuafat towards their direction.
Police forces that arrived on the scene found two bullets, one lodged
in the rear windshield of a car and the other in the garden of an
apartment on Eliyahu Meridor Street in the neighborhood. No residents
were wounded by the gunfire.
Border Patrol forces conducted a search for the culprits in Shuafat,
but still have not apprehended any suspects. Jerusalem police have
stated that the incident is very serious, and that great efforts will be
made to locate the responsible parties.
For those of you sitting in the US wondering what the big deal is about a few gunshots, please realize that such incidents are few and far between here.
According to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, the unidentified suspect
first fired multiple rounds at several Jewish residences Friday
afternoon, leaving bullet holes in many of them, although none of the
occupants were injured.
Following an intensive overnight undercover investigation into the
shootings, Rosenfeld said Border Police officers came across the
suspect in Shuafat Saturday afternoon, once again shooting at Jewish
homes in Pisgat Ze’ev.
“Undercover officers in the area saw him fire more shots in the
direction of the neighborhood and shot him immediately to prevent him
from causing any more damage,” said Rosenfeld, who deemed the suspect a
terrorist.
“He was in serious condition after being shot, and transferred by
ambulance to Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem where he’s now receiving
medical treatment,” he said.
Thank God no one was hurt and the police officers just shot him without asking questions or trying to get him to stop.
Pisgat Zev used to be entirely Jewish, but it is one of several 'east' Jerusalem neighborhoods which has become mixed as a result of 'Palestinians' moving to within what they believe will be part of Israel in the event of a 'peace agreement' to avoid coming under the jurisdiction of the 'Palestinian Authority.'
Hamas rocket hits synagogue in Ashdod, Hamas rocket just misses kindergarten, shots fired at Jerusalem home
Three people were wounded by shrapnel on Friday when a Hamas rocket slammed into a synagogue in Ashdod.
A rocket fired by terrorists in Gaza has caused considerable damage to a synagogue in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod.
Paramedics from the United Hatzalah and Magen David Adom emergency
organizations rushed to the scene, after a massive explosion was heard.
Three people were injured and have been evacuated for further medical
treatment after receiving first aid.
Medical sources described two of the victims as males, aged 25 and
26, who suffered shrapnel injuries to their extremities. They have been
evacuated to the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot.
The third victim, a 40-year-old woman, suffered injuries to her
torso, and has been evacuated to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
Several others were treated at the scene for shock.
A short while later, a Hamas rocket landed just 12 meters (about 39 feet) from a packed Kindergarten in the western Negev.
A five-rocket salvo saw the Iron Dome intercept two rockets over
Ashkelon. Three rockets struck the western Negev; one of them landed
just 12 meters (roughly feet) from a packed kindergarten. Luckily, all
children and staff are safe; the building was protected from rocket fire
and all of the occupants were in safe areas.
...
The near-miss follows Education Minister Shai Piron's assertion Thursday that the school year would continue as usual, despite the ongoing rocket fire on civilians.
“The school year will begin as planned. We are prepared for any
security-related occurrences,” the MK explained. “During the first two
weeks of the school year, the education system will not be occupied with
regular teaching, but rather with activities to dissipate the tensions
and with discussions surrounding the events of the summer, including the
arousal and demonstration of racism and incitement.”
The Ashklelon and Be'er Sheva Regional Councils have all pledged to ignore Piron's statement, according to Walla! News, citing security concerns and potential psychological toll on the area's children.
This is the third time a rocket has struck near a school. The previous rocket strike wounded a 33 year-old man on Thursday, as he heroically was protecting children from the missile with his own body.
As Gaza terrorists kept up their rocket war against Israel on Friday, terrorists in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat apparently opened a salvo of their own, shooting at a Jewish home in the adjacent Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood.
Police arrived in the neighborhood after receiving reports of gunshots heard from Shuafat.
A bullet was found by the doorway of a Pisgat Ze'ev home, having hit
the home and fallen to the ground; no one was injured in the incident.
A search is being conducted by police forces in the area to try and locate the perpetrator of the shooting attack.
There has been a growing concern over rising terrorism from
Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction, based
on an ever more open call for terror by the group accompanied by
numerous terror attacks.
Shabbat Shalom to all of you. As we try to stay safe here in Israel, your prayers on our behalf are greatly appreciated.
For those who missed it in my previous post, we spent a few minutes in our reinforced (it's not really hermetically sealed - no one is expecting chemical weapons) a short while ago. Sirens went off in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and Maaleh Adumim among others. Iron Dome shot down two missiles.
The sirens alerting Israelis to incoming rockets sounded
Thursday afternoon in Jerusalem, Beyt Shemesh, Maaleh Adumim, Binyamin
and Samaria regions.
Initial reports say Iron Dome rockets intercepted two missiles over Jerusalem.
Additional details are not yet available.
This is the first time that we've had an alarm since Tuesday night.
They've had a busier day in the center of the country.
Hamas terrorists on Thursday afternoon launched yet another heavy
barrage of rockets at Israeli cities in the center of the country.
Sirens were heard in Ramle, Lod, Nes Tziyona, Yavne, and other areas
south of Rishon Lezion. Several of the missiles were destroyed
in mid-air by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, while others fell in open areas. No injuries or damage were reported.
The rockets at the central plain cities were a continuation of the
heavy barrage that Israel faced on Thursday, the third day of Operation
Protective Edge. Six missiles were fired at Tel Aviv Thursday, with a
barrage of four missiles fired at about 8 AM, as tens of thousands of
commuters were driving into the Tel Aviv area. Two more missiles were
fired at about 11:30 AM. All six were shot down by Iron Dome missiles.
No damage to any buildings was reported, although several cars were said
to have been struck by shrapnel. One woman was treated for shock in
Ramat Gan, Magen David Adom officials said.
On both occasions, warning sirens were heard in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan,
Bnei Brak, Holon, and Bat Yam. Hamas took responsibility for at least
four of the rockets, with Islamic Jihad terrorists firing the other two.
This cannot continue. While thank God there have been few injuries and little property damage, the country's economy cannot continue like this.
I have just been told that Kol B'rama radio is reporting that one of the rockets may have fallen in the Shuafat 'refugee camp.' BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
UPDATE 8:50 PM
Where they hit... from the same link....
Iron Dome rockets intercepted two missiles over Jerusalem, out
of a total of four that were fired at it. No one was directly hurt, but a
74-year-old man in Kfar Adumim suffered a serious head injury as he ran
to the bomb shelter. He was taken to Hadassah Hospital where he is
under anesthesia, and being artificially respirated.
"Four rockets were fired at Jerusalem, of which two landed in open areas and two were intercepted," an army spokesman told AFP, without giving further details.
Witnesses and Palestinian security sources told AFP one rocket struck near Maaleh Adumim, while a second hit close to an Israeli military prison near Ramallah.
Three loud blasts could be heard around the city shortly after sirens wailed, sending people scrambling for shelter, AFP correspondents said.
We built it and they accused us of apartheid anyway
Now that they've destroyed it, should we pay millions to rebuild it? Or should we bypass the Arab neighborhoods and have the tram run straight from French Hill to Pisgat Zev and Neve Yaakov.
Don't rush to answer that question too quickly by the way. One of the reasons that the tram went through Shuafat in the first place was to promote the idea of a united Jerusalem.
By the way, for the Hebrew-impaired, the caption reads "Millions of Shekels that were invested in the light rail in the Arab neighborhoods were BURNT IN AN HOUR."
Arab teen killed, Jews rush to blame Jews, 'Palestinians' riot
An Arab teenager was killed on Wednesday morning in Jerusalem, and as Israeli-Jewish Leftists rushed to label it a 'revenge attack' (the only surprise there is that they didn't call it a 'price tag' attack), 'Palestinians' rioted in Jerusalem, ensuring that there will be no tram service in their neighborhoods for some time to come.
Let's go to the videotape to see the damage in the Shuafat 'refugee camp.'
What precipitated all this was the discovery of the body of a 16-year old (what a coincidence!) 'Palestinian' in the Jerusalem Forest who had apparently been murdered.
The unidentified corpse was located by officers hours after residents of
east Jerusalem’s upscale Beit Hanina neighborhood notified police of
witnessing a young man being forced into a black vehicle late Tuesday
night.
I'm so glad that the police take calls from 'Palestinians' more seriously than they take calls from Jews. /sarc
And why are the Jews suspected? Well for the 'Palestinians,' any excuse for a riot will do, but here's why Jews accuse other Jews.
The murder takes place after Israeli right-wing rioters embroiled
much of downtown Jerusalem Tuesday afternoon and evening, demanding
revenge for the murders of yeshiva students Gil-Ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrah
and Naftali Fraenkel.
The protracted riot attracted hundreds of
extremists, who marched for several kilometers throughout the downtown
area, including to the Old City, while chanting anti-Arab slogans and
attacking several Palestinians in their path. Over 50 arrests were made
throughout the capital.
Not exactly a call for random murders....
Meanwhile, there's another possibility for who did it.
Though the cause of death remains unknown, Rosenfeld said the boy’s body
sustained significant burn marks. The spokesman added that police are
also investigating previous kidnap attempts of members of the family to
which the victim belonged, stemming from a personal dispute.
But that didn't stop Meir Margalit, a representative of the extreme Leftist Meretz party from blaming the Jews.
Despite the police’s contention that the murder may not have been
nationalistically motivated, East Jerusalem Portfolio head Dr. Meir
Margalit (Meretz) said there is no question as to the motivation behind
it.
“It’s clear that it’s revenge,” he said by phone. “It’s a political and terrorist action carried out by the right wing.”
Calling the killing of an Arab youth “shocking,” Livni wrote that
“the murderers must be found and tried immediately. Nothing must stop
us. This is the difference between the State of Israel and a terror
organization.”
While she did not point any fingers in her post, she did drop a hint
as to those she felt responsible. Implying that the killers of an Arab
youth allegedly abducted and found dead in a Jerusalem forest were
Jewish, Livni wrote that “we must punish those who want to turn us into a
society of killers. This cannot be allowed to happen in Israel.”
But even Livni has retracted her tweet.
The messages was posted at roughly 8 a.m. Wednesday
morning, but a few minutes later disappeared – never to return. Livni
has not explained why she backtracked on the post.
The reason might be because of the strong possibility that the murder
was carried out not by Jews, but by Arabs – and family members at that.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva
on condition of anonymity, A senior retired police official noted that
the family of the murdered 16-year-old was well known to police sources
in Jerusalem, adding "it's a problematic family with internal clashes
that have been ongoing for many years. I have no doubt that as time
passes it will be clarified that the murder was criminal and nothing
more.”
But the real difference between the Jews and the 'Palestinians' is the reaction. Recall that the only 'Palestinian' to speak out publicly against the kidnapping and murder of Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar and Eyal Yifrach had to go into hiding and his relatives were arrested for threatening him. Now look at the Jewish reaction.
Meanwhile, less than 24-hours after burying their son Naftali, the
Fraenkel family issued a statement saying it would be “horrifying and
despicable” if the Arab youth was killed due to nationalistic motives to
avenge the murders of the three murdered yeshiva students.
“There
is no difference between blood and blood, murder is murder,” read the
statement from the bereaved family, who said they patently condemned
murder in any form.
In a statement issued by the Jerusalem
Municipality Wednesday morning, Mayor Nir Barkat also condemned the
“horrible and barbaric murder.”
“This is not our way, and I am
fully confident that our security forces will bring the perpetrators to
justice,” he said. “I call on everyone to exercise restraint.”
Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel also came out harshly against the killing of the youth.
“The
murder of a young man and burning his body is a disgusting act,” he
said in a statement. “I hope the police use all means to find the
murderers as quickly as possible and to bring them to justice.”
And no one is threatening any of them for saying so.
US consulate warns against taking Jerusalem light rail
The US consulate in Jerusalem has issued a warning against US citizens taking our new light rail system and has barred its own employees from doing so (Hat Tip: Muqata).
The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem advises U.S. citizens that the light rail system in Jerusalem has now started operations in the city. This new form of transportation is part of the public transportation network. Official U.S. Government personnel are currently prohibited from utilizing public transportation facilities, including municipal buses and the light rail network. The Consulate General will monitor the performance and security climate of the new light rail system as it begins operations.
U.S. citizens in Jerusalem are encouraged to exercise caution and take appropriate measures to ensure their safety and security, and to report any suspicious or unusual activity immediately to Israeli authorities. U.S. citizens should, as always, maintain a low profile in public.
Of course what they're not telling you is the reason for the caution. For many years now, Jerusalem city buses have not gone through predominantly Arab neighborhoods. The light rail, in an effort to show Jewish sovereignty over the entire city, goes through the predominantly Arab neighborhoods of Beit Hanina and Shuafat. This is the first time any Jewish transport has gone through those neighborhoods since the route of the 25 bus to Neve Yaakov was changed to avoid them. So far, so good. The one suspicious object I've heard about turned out to have been left there by accident.
An Israeli fire truck was attacked on Sunday when it responded to a call in the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat (it's not clear to me from the story if they mean the 'refugee camp' or the wealthy village across the road, but it's far more likely that it's the 'refugee camp').
A Jerusalem firefighting crew that was sent to put out a car fire in the northern neighborhood of Shuafat was attacked by rock throwers while performing its duty Sunday evening.
The fire engine was damaged and the firefighters were forced to retreat without gaining control over the fire.
The next time, just let them burn down their whole neighborhood and don't pay to rebuild it.
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
