Today is a travel day - but I'm not traveling until this evening.
The 'Palestinian police' beat to death Ahmad Izz Halaweh, a 'Palestinian' who was arrested for being involved in shooting two 'Palestinian police' to death in Shchem (Nablus). It goes without saying that Hamas is claiming that Halaweh's death constitutes a 'new height' of 'collaboration with Israel' as if Israel cares about an inter-'Palestinian' fight in a 'Palestinian' city.
Ahmad Izz Halaweh, the main suspect in a shooting by several gunmen last
week which left two Palestinian policemen dead, was arrested during
predawn raids in the Old City of Nablus in the northern occupied West
Bank on Tuesday and taken to the Juneid security compound, where he was attacked and severely beaten by security officers.
Governor of Nablus Akram Rujoub later pronounced him dead.
A
graphic photo shared on social media of Halaweh after the brutal attack
showed his face, neck, and shoulders badly bruised and swollen.
Halaweh, reportedly the most prominent Nablus-area leader of Fatah's
military wing the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, was the third civilian to be
killed by Palestinian security officers following Thursday’s shooting.
Huh? A leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is a 'civilian'?
Shortly after Halaweh’s killing,
Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah announced that a special
committee would be formed to look into Halaweh’s death and publicly
share the results of the investigation, calling the situation
“exceptional.”
Good luck with that....
Hamdallah also called on Palestinians wanted by Palestinian police to turn themselves in.
Yes, 'turn yourselves in or we will kill you. But just give them a 'state' and they'll stop behaving this way. Right....
Meanwhile, while you're passing the popcorn, here comes the United Nations....
In a statement released Tuesday
afternoon, James Heenan, the head of the UN Human Rights Office in the
Occupied Palestinian Territory, said the UN agency was “extremely
concerned about the apparent extrajudicial execution."
"We
welcome the prompt announcement of an investigation into the killing by
Prime Minister Hamdallah, and urge the Palestinian authorities to hold
independent investigations into the string of events since last week
that have now seen five people lose their lives." Heenan
insisted that the security officers involved in the “unlawful killings”
be "brought to justice and be suspended, pending the completion of the
investigation."
“There is
no place for such acts in a State of Palestine that seeks to abide by
international human rights law," Heenan said, concluding that "Our
Office will follow this case closely.”
Abu Mazen last night in Beit Lechem: We oppose murder or bloodshed of any person without connection to his sex/origin/religion. Our opposition will continue to be peaceful and we will not encourage otherwise.
Today, a 15-year old was arrested in connection with the murder of Daphna Meir HY"D (May God Avenge her blood), a mother of six children who was murdered in her own home in front of her children on Sunday. How does a 15-year old become incited to murder?
This video is from 'Palestinian' television in October of 2015. The senior 'Palestinian' official was commenting on the murders of Eitam and Naama Henkin HY"D (on which Abu Mazen had no comment - see the link).
When a child is fed this kind of support for murder with his mother's milk and thereafter for all of his brief life, is it really surprising that he decides that his duty is to murder Jews in front of their children (God Forbid)?
Abu Mazen doesn't oppose bloodshed. He lives for it. He's a liar.
And for this we can thank President Hussein Obama and his European Union friends, which continue to let the 'Palestinian Authority' off scot free for this type of incitement.
Four 'Palestinian' teens arrested for fatal Rosh HaShanna rock attack
Four 'Palestinians' have been arrested for carrying out a rock attack on the first night of Rosh HaShanna in which a 64-year old man was murdered and his two daughters seriously wounded.
An investigation determined the rock was thrown by youths from the
neighboring Arab village of Sur Bahir. In a joint statement with the
Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), police said on Saturday that the
four suspects from the neighborhood confessed to carrying out the
deadly attack shortly after their arrests.
“During interrogation
by the Shin Bet, the four admitted that they planned to carry out
terrorist acts, especially on Rosh Hashanah, and positioned themselves
so that they could throw stones at passing Israeli vehicles,” police
said.
The four suspects, police added, are between the ages of
16-19, and have Israeli residential status. Three of the four suspects
have been identified as Mohammed Abu Salah, born in 1997; Fares Mostafa
Walid Atrash, born in 1997; Mahmoud Abed Rabbo Doiat, born in 1996. The
identity of the fourth suspect was barred from publication due to his
age, police said.
Doiat, who confessed to throwing the large
rock that killed Levlovitz, said he wore a Hamas flag which he received
earlier in the month at a “Al-Aksa Is in Danger” demonstration
condemning the Ministry of Defense’s ban of two radical Muslim groups
from the Temple Mount. The rally was organized by Hamas and the Islamic
Movement, according to security forces.
Levlovitz was
critically wounded after striking a tree upon losing control of the car.
His two daughters were also seriously wounded.
Police said that after observing the crash, the four suspects fled the scene, and subsequently met again to coordinate their alibis if arrested. Despite their arrests, police said that the investigation into the attack is ongoing, and that the Jerusalem District Attorney will file formal charges against the four upon reviewing the evidence against them.
This was the attack in which the New York Times' Diaa Hadid reported that rocks pelted the road and Levlovitz just happened to be there.
A Jewish man died early Monday morning after attackers pelted the road
he was driving on with rocks as he was returning home from a dinner
celebrating Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, the Israeli authorities
said.
Can't wait to see how the Slimes reports the arrests.
“[Saleh] al-Arouri is not in Turkey at the moment,” sources from the
Turkish Foreign Ministry told Hürriyet Daily News. The same sources,
nonetheless, declined to elaborate on whether al-Arouri had ever resided
in Turkey, as Israeli officials have claimed, and whether he was
recently deported, as news reports have suggested.
The
explanation by Turkish officials following months-long silence on the
issue came only days after Israeli Channel 10 reported last week Turkey
had bowed to pressure by the United States and ordered al-Arouri, who Israel has accused of organizing terrorist attacks in the West Bank, to leave the country.
Channel
10 suggested the Turkish government agreed to al-Arouri’s ouster
because it was one of the prerequisites for Turkey’s entry into the
Western coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL).
The explanation by senior Foreign Ministry sources came
on the same day when Khaled Mashaal, the head of Hamas’ political
bureau, was scheduled to arrive in Turkey for a meeting with President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, amid the flurry of regional contacts made by
Hamas, which have intensified since the recent nuclear deal between Iran and Western powers.
I believe that Naftali Frenkel HY"D (May God Avenge his blood) was a US citizen, and I have to wonder why the United States did not demand Arouri's extradition to face charges in the US. I'm sure Frenkel's family is wondering the same thing.
Here's hoping the Mossad finds Arouri soon and deals with him the way Israel knows how to deal with terrorists.
As many of you may have heard, someone dressed as an ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed six people at a gay pride parade in Jerusalem on Thursday. The 'man,' Yishai Schlissel, did the same thing ten years ago, and was recently released from prison for that crime. Unfortunately, this time, he managed to murder someone. 16-year old Shira Banki (pictured above) passed away today.
The letter below was written by Rabbi Ron Yitzchak Eisenman of Passaic, New Jersey, who studied with me in yeshiva 35 years ago. I think it sums up pretty well how we ought to look at and feel about this incident (Hat Tip: Mrs. Carl).
The Short VortGood Morning!Today is Sunday the 17th of Menachem-Av 5775 and August 2, 2015In Memory of Shira Banki...
Posted by Ron Yitzchock Eisenman on Sunday, August 2, 2015
Iran were reportedly behind the assassination of Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman. According to sources an Iranian agent was the killer.
— IDF Elite (@idfelite) February 21, 2015
Maybe Obama can hire Iran to come after Rudy Giuliani? (And don't get me wrong - I love Giuliani).
Breaking: ISIS releases video claiming to show Jordanian pilot burnt alive in a cage
ISIS has released a video which purports to show captured Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh being burnt alive in a cage (Hat Tip: Sunlight).
The footage, which is titled 'Healing the Believers Chests' appears to show the captured airman wearing an orange jumpsuit as a trail of petrol leading up to the cage is seen being set alight.
Flames are seen quickly spreading to the cage where they completely engulf the helpless pilot in images that are far too distressing to publish.
...
Yesterday Jordan government spokesman Mohammed al-Momeni said the kingdom was doing 'everything' it could to secure the release of Kassasbeh, who was captured by ISIS after his F-16 fighter jet crashed in territory controlled by the militants in Syria in December.
However the statement came with an explicit threat that if 'hero' Kassasbeh came to any harm, Jordan would 'quickly judge and sentence' all those it holds on suspicion of being members of ISIS.
Last week Jordan vowed to fast-track the execution of Sajida al-Rishawi if ISIS kills Kaseasbeh.
It apparently warned ISIS that she and other jailed ISIS commanders would be 'quickly judged and sentenced' in revenge for the execution of the pilot.
Intelligence sources said ISIS's refusal to prove that Kaseasbeh was alive meant any deal with the militants was doomed.
Jordan subsequently stepped up its rhetoric by warning of its intent to retaliate if the negotiations end in bloodshed.
But unlike the West, the Jordanians are fellow Muslims and they know how to deal with ISIS. You can bet that they will - very publicly - execute every ISIS prisoner they are holding.
Note that's the day after the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens by 'Palestinian' terrorists this past summer. If that stands, it means that the kidnapping and murder would not by justiciable by the International Criminal Court.
Not that it's likely to matter. The court is likely to be institutionally biased against Israel anyway.
There is no reason to think the prosecutor or Court are eager for
Israel/Palestine cases, and a lot of reasons to think they are not,
given the disproportionate political headaches they entail.
Yet
there is cause to think that the the Court is a most improper venue for
sorting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Indeed, even absent any bias,
the Court is structured in a way that cannot do equal justice, and is
thus properly seen as a Palestinian tool against Israel. Moreover,
recent statements by the Prosecutor give troubling evidence that she may
be willing to replace legal analysis with the off-the-shelf views of
the “international community” on the conflict.
To be clear, I
think the most likely outcome from the Palestinian effort is no full
investigation of either side, at least any time soon. Rather, I am
trying to explain why the Palestinians see the ICC as a good bet – one
more likely to break their way than not. This is important because many
distinguished jurists and academics
not unsympathetic to the Palestinians have warned them that they have
more to loose than gain from ICC proceedings. But they went ahead
anyway, which means they have a different analysis – one that I try to
reconstruct here.
The Court’s track record suggests it is
incapable of rendering impartial justice in an ongoing bilateral
conflict. The Court is not some well-established, Olympian seat of
judgment. Rather, it is a weak, conflicted and floundering institution, beset by profound embarrassments that might affect its decision-making.
It has completed only three cases, with two convictions. Most recently,
it has seen two of its highest-profile matters – the only ones
involving sitting heads of state – disintegrate. These were the
prosecutions of Kenya’s president for election violence, and of Sudan’s
president Bashir, for genocide. Both proceedings failed because of the
persistent, and in the case of Kenya, subtle, non-cooperation of the
target regime. (Despite their current embrace of the ICC, the
Palestinians have long been on record opposing the ICC’s arrest warrant
against Bashir.) The ICC has proven itself completely incapable of
prosecuting a case against an unwilling regime, especially an
authoritarian or illiberal one.
Former ISIS hostages: No, Sotloff didn't convert; Yes, he fasted on Yom Kippur
When Stephen Sotloff HY"D (May God Avenge his blood) was murdered by ISIS, and it was publicized that he was an Israeli citizen and observed Yom Kippur, at least one blogger attacked him for converting to Islam (see the comments to that post).
Former
hostages said that a majority of the Western prisoners had converted
during their difficult captivity. Among them was Mr. Kassig, who adopted
the name Abdul-Rahman, according to his family, who learned of his
conversion in a letter smuggled out of the prison.
Only
a handful of the hostages stayed true to their own faiths, including
Mr. Sotloff, then 30, a practicing Jew. On Yom Kippur, he told his
guards he was not feeling well and refused his food so he could secretly
observe the traditional fast, a witness said.
A 20-year-old man was stabbed to death in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel Radio reported on Friday.
Israel
Police reported that the man was killed following an argument that
broke out between family members. It is not yet clear which family
members were involved
Neighbors who witnessed the fight told
police that the argument was over the hot-button issue of selling homes
to Jews in the predominantly Arab neighborhood.
...
Fadi Maragha, a local Fatah representative, said he felt that the broker who sold homes to Jews should die.
In the past, Palestinians found to have sold their homes to Jewish organizations have been killed.
In Silwan, there are 90 Jewish families with about 500 Jews, who live among 50,000 Arabs. No one has even discussed a similar penalty for Jews who sell apartments to Arabs in predominantly Jewish neighborhoods. Just sayin'....
A reminder of the difference between the 'Palestinians' and Israel
Isn't it a pity that the New York Post chose to depict this mass adulation of terrorists as showing the difference between Israel and Hamas... as if Abu Bluff's 'Palestinian Authority' doesn't also regard the two terrorist murderers who were buried last week as 'martyrs.'
As The Jerusalem Post reports, thousands of mourners marched Tuesday
in honor of two men who were the lead suspects in the murder of three
Israeli teens.
The two dead men, Marwan Kawasme and Amar Abu Aysha, were both
affiliated with Hamas, and were killed during a gun battle with Israeli
troops. Mourners waved Hamas and Palestinian flags as they carried the
two bodies through Hebron.
We’re talking about two men whose victims were not soldiers but three Israeli students.
Now compare this to the Israeli response to the horrific, retaliatory
killing of 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khudair. Israeli
authorities pulled all stops to hunt down and arrest those suspected in
the killing.
Three Israelis have now been indicted for the killing of this
innocent Arab boy. Two of these suspects also face charges of trying to
commit other crimes against Arabs.
Israel is not perfect. But in the clash between the Jewish state and
its enemies, it helps to remember that one side uses all its might to
bring to justice those who target innocent life — while the other too
often celebrates this deadly work so long as the target is a Jew.
Yes, but that 'clash' is not just between Israel and Hamas. It's between Israel and the 'Palestinians.'
Hamas and the 'Palestinian Authority' (Fatah) only differ on tactics. They don't differ on goals. Nearly all 'Palestinians' regard those two terrorists as heroes. It's time to stop pretending that it's 'only' Hamas that hates us.
The two 'Palestinians' who kidnapped and murdered Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach aren't going to be part of any 'prisoner exchange.' They've been eliminated.
The operation was carried out by the Yamam, a special unit of
the Border Police, and the IDF, in Hevron. An attempt was made to arrest
the suspects but an exchange of fire developed in which they were
killed.
The operation was made possible by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), which located the murderers' hideout. In
the last few days, several Hamas suspects were arrested and questioned
on the assumption that they were assisting the fugitives.
"We have been pursuing these two since the abduction,” said
Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brig. Gen. Tamir Yadai. “Last night
the investigation ripened as regards their location and we have been
surrounding the place where they were hiding since 1:00 a.m. We killed
them and there are arrests of several other collaborators.”
"We began areesting suspects and at the same time we applied [IDF]
'pressure cooker' protocol on the house. It is a big house and they hid
out in a secret arms store on the basement floor. The floor is not
visible from the outside. At one stage they went outside and opened
fire. One was shot and the other fell inside, into a hole.”
"There was use of weapons, like hand grenades and the deployment of
explosives that were prepared ahead of time,” he added. “We know that
they have been staying in this location quite a lot in the last few
days. We know for certain that they were not here the whole time. They
had weapons like M-16s, a Kalachnikov and handguns, too.”
Thank God they weren't arrested. Thank God they were killed. I only wish they had died a slow and painful death.
The families of the three murdered Israeli teens are also relieved.
"Throughout the period [after the murders], there were two people
going around there with two pistols and automatic weapons, who have
nothing to lose," [Racheli Frenkel - mother of Naftali HY"D] recounted to Walla! News Tuesday
morning. "We were afraid that more innocent people would be hurt, and we
are pleased that this was resolved without any injuries to our
soldiers."
"We know that the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency - ed.] and the
military were working on it intensely," she added. "I'm glad they were
able to accomplish their mission without harming soldiers."
Obama's best friend forever denied use of base for Foley-Sotloff rescue - was an Israeli base used?
From a lengthy Wall Street Journal article that I received by email on the failed July 3 attempt to rescue US hostages James Foley and Steven Sotloff from ISIS (Hat Tip: Dan F). The two were both subsequently beheaded, with videos posted online.
The U.S. hoped to launch the raid from a base in Turkey that would give easy
access to Raqqa. But the Turks, worried about their own hostages, were wary,
U.S. officials said, so the U.S. sent the team to another country in the region
for final preparations.
Shifting the operation didn't delay matters, said one of the military
officials, although the distance to Raqqa increased. A senior Turkish official
denied that the U.S. approached Ankara seeking a base in the country. The
ultimate host country agreed on the condition the U.S. not reveal its
identity.
Gee, I wonder what country was the 'ultimate host country.' There are only two possibilities really: Israel or Jordan.
Incirlik (Turkey's air base) to Raqqa is 458.3 kilometers by land.
One base that might have been used is Jordan's al-Muwaffaq air base, which is east of Amman. I could not find out how far away that air base is (Amman is 526 kilometers away), but flying from Jordan would have required taking a roundabout route or crossing substantial Syrian and/or Lebanese territory.
Among Israeli air bases, Ramat David is 671.5 kilometers from Raqqa by land, Palmachim is 778.9 kilometers from Raqqa by land, Hatzor is 799 kilometers from Raqqa by land, and Hatzerim is 854.4 kilometers from Raqqa by land. But the advantage of using an Israeli base is that you go straight out over the Mediterranean until you reach the Syrian coastline and then fly along the Euphrates (see the bottom left map)... as Israel did when it destroyed Assad's nuclear capability at al-Kibar.
As he's called a 'terrorist sympathizer,' Stephen Sotloff's mother talks about his connection to Israel
The mother of Stephen Sotloff HY"D (May God Avenge his blood) has spoken to Israel's Yedioth Aharonoth daily about her son's connection to Israel.
"The first time Steven visited Israel he immediately fell in love
with it," Shirley told those coming to comfort the bereaved family,
according to Yedioth Aharonoth.
Sotloff was an Israeli citizen,
having made aliyah (immigration) to the Jewish state in 2005, where he
studied at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya until 2008.
According to his mother, who is herself the daughter of a Holocaust
survivor, Sotloff first traveled to Israel on the Taglit-Birthright
Israel program and was enchanted by what he saw.
On Friday the family is to hold a memorial ceremony for him at the
Beit Am synagogue in Miami, where Sotloff studied as a child and where
his mother taught, and then sit shiva, the traditional seven-day period of intense mourning.
The grieving mother added "our Steven was not a man of war. He always
looked for the human things; he always told us that his goal was to
show the world what really is happening in the daily lives of citizens
in Syria during the war."
Sotloff's family has asked for privacy during their mourning; on Wednesday a family friend Barak Barfi spoke to media representatives on their behalf, saying Sotloff was "pulled by the Arab world” to “tell the stories of those who didn't have anyone else to tell them.”
Yid with Lid reports that a number of people have attacked Sotloff as a 'terrorist sympathizer.' Yid with Lid refutes those claims here.
New details on teens' kidnapping and murder emerge
An indictment was filed on Thursday against Hussam Kawasme, the ringleader of the plot to kidnap and murder Gilad Shaar, Naftali Frenkel and Eyal Yifrach HY"D (May God Avenge their blood). With the indictment come more details that make it clear that this was not a spontaneous or lone wolf operation.
Hussam's interrogation, as well as those of a number of other
arrested suspects, revealed that he had played a fundamental part in the
kidnapping, and served as its mastermind and overall coordinator of the
entire terrorist "operation". In that capacity, he secured some 200,000
shekels from his Gaza-based brother and Hamas operative Mahmoud to fund
the attack.
The money was used, among other things, to purchase the car used in the abductions, which was later found burned out, near Hevron, together with spent bullet casings and traces of blood.
The money was also used to buy weapons - two pistols and two assault
rifles - which were given to Marwan Kawasmeh prior to the attack. Hussam
received those weapons from another Hamas terrorist in Hevron, Adnan
Mohammed Azzat Zaro.
Also under interrogation, it was revealed that immediately after the
murders Marwan went to Hussam, who helped him to take the bodies to a
field the latter had purchased several month before in preparation for
the killings. After burying the bodies in a shallow grave, he then
helped Marwan and Amar Abu-Eisha to find a place to hide.
Security forces also extracted the names of several other terrorists
involved in the abduction and murder, including two brothers. One of
them, 50-year-old Hevron resident Arafat Ibrahim Mohammed Kawasmeh,
admitted after his arrest to helping hide the suspects. The second -
64-year-old Ahmed Ibrahim Mohammed Kawasmeh - confessed that Marwan had
turned to him prior to the attack to secure him safe passage in advance
to Palestinian Authority-controlled territory, and that he had referred
him to his brother Arafat.
With the conclusion of the interrogation process, the suspects cases
have been transferred to the Judea and Samaria prosecutor, who will be
pressing charges.
For the record, 200 Shekels is approximately $56,000 at today's exchange rates. Not exactly chump change.
Sotloff made Aliyah
and studied at the IDC. Little information regarding his time in Israel
is known, and after he was captured in Syria it seems any connection to
Israel was deleted from his online presence in a bid to prevent the
information reaching his captors.
National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden announced the US
intelligence community's assessment of the video in a statement
Wednesday.
Colleagues and acquaintances recalled Sotloff as a generous man
fascinated by journalism and the changes gripping the Middle East, and
determined to tell stories from the perspective of average people, not
army movements on the battlefield.
A friend who was with
Sotloff in captivity told Ynet's sister-print publication Yedioth
Aharonoth that Sotloff was Jewish - a fact he hid from his captors - and
even managed to observe the Yom Kippur fast while in Islamic State
captivity.
"He told them he was sick and doesn’t want to eat, even though we
were served eggs that day," the friend said. "He used to pray secretly
in the direction of Jerusalem. He would see in which direction (his
Muslim captors) were praying and then adjust the angle."
...
Sotloff, a 31-year-old
Miami-area native who freelanced for Time and Foreign Policy magazines,
vanished in Syria in August 2013 and was not seen again until he
appeared in a video released last month that showed Foley's beheading.
...
Just how Sotloff made
his way from Florida to Middle East hotspots is not clear. He published
articles from Syria, Egypt and Libya in a variety of publications.
Several focus on the plight of ordinary people in war-torn places.
One individual familiar with the case said the family's theory
had been that Sotloff was grabbed by a criminal gang, and later
transferred or "sold" to Islamic State. This could not be confirmed by
his family, which declined interview requests.
Preparing for the trip to Syria, Sotloff reportedly asked a
fellow reporter in June 2013: "What type of lawlessness in Aleppo?
Should I keep my eyes open for anything regarding safety?"
"Can you meet with ISI," he asked, using an earlier acronym for
Islamic State. "And the quality of life? Is there still plenty of food
available? Gas?"
In a statement, Foreign Policy magazine called him a "brave and
talented journalist" whose reporting "showed a deep concern for the
civilians caught in the middle of a brutal war."
Time
Editor Nancy Gibbs said Sotloff "gave his life so readers would have
access to information from some of the most dangerous places in the
world."
Given that that Sotloff's Judaism was widely publicized after Foley was beheaded, I find it hard to believe that ISIS did not know Sotloff was Jewish. Therefore, the acronym HY"D (May God Avenge his blood) seems to fit here.
UPDATE 4:04 PM
Much more detail about Sotloff's time in Israel and his contacts with Israeli journalists here.
Now he doesn't have to find the 'real killers,' he can call it an honor killing
Shavua tov, a good week to everyone.
O.J. Simpson can stop looking for the 'real killers' of his wife. He's converting to Islam and that means that all his sins are forgiven (Hat Tip: Jack W).
The disgraced 67-year-old star has become interested in the religion
through his friendship with former world heavyweight boxing champion
Mike Tyson, who was imprisoned in the early 1990s and is a devout
Muslim.
Simpson has been studying the Koran but failed to successfully fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
An inside said: ”O.J. didn’t quite make it through the entire fasting process.
”He cheated during the day, and bought snacks from the prison
canteen. But he’s really serious about converting to Islam. O.J. even
made himself a prayer rug for his prison cell. He really likes the idea
that upon converting to Islam, all of his previous sins are forgiven.
O.J. has a lot to be forgiven for.”
'Most pro-Israel administration evah' accuses Israel of targeting US citizens in Jerusalem
The self-proclaimed (or perhaps that's Dumb Debbie Wasserman-Schultz's line) 'most pro-Israel administration evah' is accusing Israel of targeting the family of Mohammed Abu Khadr, some of whom are US citizens. Abu Khadr was kidnapped and murdered shortly after the bodies of three kidnapped and murdered Israeli teenagers were found. Three Israeli Jews are being held for the murder of Abu Khadr.
Three days after his death, on July 5, the United States slammed
Israel's arrest of a 15-year-old cousin, Tarek Abu Khdeir, 15, a US
citizen. Tarek was arrested as he took part in violent riots, and police
said they found a slingshot on him, and that he attacked police and
resisted arrest, while others were hurling rocks and molotov cocktails
at them.
He was allegedly beaten in detention and has since been freed and returned to Florida.
Israeli authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
On July 28, another cousin of Abu Khdeir, also American, was arrested in Israel as well, the State Department said Wednesday.
Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf identified him as "Mohammed Abu
Khdeir," which would mean his name is the same as his murdered cousin's.
"We can confirm that Mohammed Abu Khdeir, a US citizen, was arrested
on July 28. The US consulate general in Jerusalem is providing consular
assistance. A consular official visited him on August 14th. The
consulate is also in contact with Mr. Khdeir's family and his lawyer,"
Harf said.
Yet "we are concerned that the US consulate general in Jerusalem was not notified of his arrest by the government of Israel.
And "we are also concerned about the fact that members of the Khdeir
family appeared to be singled out for arrest by the Israeli
authorities," Harf added.
It is not yet known under what circumstances Abu Khdeir was arrested.
And you thought that allies talk things like this out behind closed doors rather than in State Department press briefings.
Funny - I don't recall the US State Department ever saying anything in its briefings about the murders of Mark Parsons, John Branchizio and John Linde, who were actually employed as contractors by the US government when they were murdered. No one has ever been charged with those murders. Maybe because there were no Jews connected to that case?
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
