2 aug 2015
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon on Sunday ordered that the Jewish extremists believed to be responsible for the death on Friday of a Palestinian infant be placed in administrative detention. Israel's policy of administrative detention - usually applied to Palestinian prisoners - allows the authorities to hold suspects for renewable periods without trial.
Ali Saeed Dawabsheh, an 18-month-old Palestinian child, was burned to death early Friday when Jewish settlers torched his home in the village of Duma in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Dawabsheh's parents and brother were seriously injured in the attack.
According to Palestinian officials, the attack was carried out by extremist Jewish settlers affiliated with the "Price Tag" movement.
"Price tag" refers to a strategy by which Jewish settlers attack Palestinians and their property in retaliation for perceived threats to Israeli settlement expansion.
Ali Saeed Dawabsheh, an 18-month-old Palestinian child, was burned to death early Friday when Jewish settlers torched his home in the village of Duma in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Dawabsheh's parents and brother were seriously injured in the attack.
According to Palestinian officials, the attack was carried out by extremist Jewish settlers affiliated with the "Price Tag" movement.
"Price tag" refers to a strategy by which Jewish settlers attack Palestinians and their property in retaliation for perceived threats to Israeli settlement expansion.
MK Oren Hazan (Likud) was questioned under advisement on Sunday at the Anti-Fraud Unit of the police investigation and intelligence department, Lahav 433.
Hazan is suspected of attacking the director of the Ariel municipality, Avi Ezer, and of misconduct at a public place.
Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein had to authorize the police to relaunch the investigation into the incident because Hazan has since been elected to the Knesset and as a member of Knesset has immunity.
Hazan is suspected of attacking the director of the Ariel municipality, Avi Ezer, and of misconduct at a public place.
Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein had to authorize the police to relaunch the investigation into the incident because Hazan has since been elected to the Knesset and as a member of Knesset has immunity.
Shira Banki 16
16-year-old Shira Banki was critically wounded after being stabbed by Yishai Shlissel three days ago; family says will donate Shira's organs.
Shira Banki, 16, who was critically wounded after being stabbed during the Jerusalem Pride Parade on Thursday by a Jewish terrorist, has succumbed to her wounds after a three-day battle for her life.
Yishai Shlissel, a haredi man who recently finished a 10-year term in prison for stabbing three marchers at the 2005 Jerusalem Pride Parade, returned to the scene of the crime on Thursday and stabbed six people. Four of them were lightly wounded, one moderately and Banki was critically wounded.
Shlissel was captured on the scene and is currently in police custody.
Banki, a high school student, was hospitalized at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Karem, and was on respirator and sedated as doctors were fighting for her life. Her family announced that they will donate Shira's organs.
One of the other wounded at the attack is also hospitalized in Ein Karem in light condition. Another in moderate condition is at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Police is looking into a possible connection between Shlissel and a rebbetzin (a rabbi's wife) from Jerusalem, who is a prominent, vocal critic of the pride parade.
Police arrived at the rebbetzin's home on Thursday evening and Saturday evening to detain her, but she collapsed and was taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Ynet learned that a year ago, Shlissel turned to the rebbetzin's husband, asking for his help in spreading rabbinical literature, and a connection was indeed made between the two.
Both the rabbi and his wife deny that they had any knowledge of Shlissel's plans, or that they were in any contact with him close to the time of the parade.
16-year-old Shira Banki was critically wounded after being stabbed by Yishai Shlissel three days ago; family says will donate Shira's organs.
Shira Banki, 16, who was critically wounded after being stabbed during the Jerusalem Pride Parade on Thursday by a Jewish terrorist, has succumbed to her wounds after a three-day battle for her life.
Yishai Shlissel, a haredi man who recently finished a 10-year term in prison for stabbing three marchers at the 2005 Jerusalem Pride Parade, returned to the scene of the crime on Thursday and stabbed six people. Four of them were lightly wounded, one moderately and Banki was critically wounded.
Shlissel was captured on the scene and is currently in police custody.
Banki, a high school student, was hospitalized at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Karem, and was on respirator and sedated as doctors were fighting for her life. Her family announced that they will donate Shira's organs.
One of the other wounded at the attack is also hospitalized in Ein Karem in light condition. Another in moderate condition is at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Police is looking into a possible connection between Shlissel and a rebbetzin (a rabbi's wife) from Jerusalem, who is a prominent, vocal critic of the pride parade.
Police arrived at the rebbetzin's home on Thursday evening and Saturday evening to detain her, but she collapsed and was taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Ynet learned that a year ago, Shlissel turned to the rebbetzin's husband, asking for his help in spreading rabbinical literature, and a connection was indeed made between the two.
Both the rabbi and his wife deny that they had any knowledge of Shlissel's plans, or that they were in any contact with him close to the time of the parade.
1 aug 2015
Female rabbi suspected of possible connection to pride parade stabbing
Police have detained a female rabbi from Jerusalem, who is among the more prominent detractors of the gay pride parade, in an attempt to examine whether she had any connection to Yishai Shlissel, who stabbed six people at the parade on Thursday.
Upon the arrival of police, the rabbi collapsed and was evacuated for medical attention. The suspect and her husband denied they knew of Shlissel's intentions or had any ties with him near the date of the attack.
Police have detained a female rabbi from Jerusalem, who is among the more prominent detractors of the gay pride parade, in an attempt to examine whether she had any connection to Yishai Shlissel, who stabbed six people at the parade on Thursday.
Upon the arrival of police, the rabbi collapsed and was evacuated for medical attention. The suspect and her husband denied they knew of Shlissel's intentions or had any ties with him near the date of the attack.
31 july 2015
An ultra-Orthodox Jew accused of stabbing six people at a Gay Pride march in Jerusalem weeks after his release from jail for a similar attack lashed out in court Friday, Israeli media reported.
"I do not accept this court's authority," said a defiant Yishai Shlissel, representing himself at a hearing. "This court is part of the mechanism of evil," Haaretz newspaper's website quoted him as saying at the Jerusalem magistrate's court.
"I have no interest in cooperating at all. I do not recognise any of the regime's institutions," he said.
Police said Shlissel's detention was extended for 12 days. Separately, In a court in southern Israel, police took a 41-year-old orthodox Jew for a remand hearing, after arresting him overnight for a social media posting in support of Schlissel's attempted murders.
On Thursday, the suspect wrote on his Facebook page: "Yishai Shlissel, if you decided to stab for the second time... couldn't you have carried out the job a bit more efficiently????? Unfortunately you won't be let out anytime soon, you would have at least been able to kill a few of those damned perverts!!!!!"
Police said the suspect, a resident of southern city Kirya Malachi whose name was withheld, was to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He had told police arresting him that he would continue inciting against homosexuals, and it was his dream to be famous.
On Thursday night Shlissel stormed the parade with a knife, attacking six before being quickly arrested amid pandemonium in Jerusalem's city center.The parade and its hundreds of marchers pushed ahead defiantly, even with blood on the road. A 17-year-old woman remained in serious condition while a 26-year-old man was stable. Four others had light to moderate injuries.
Shlissel was released from jail three weeks ago after having served a 10-year sentence for wounding three marchers in an attack on a Gay Pride parade in 2005. Shlissel had posted a letter on the Internet speaking of the "abomination" of a Gay Pride parade being held in the Holy City and the need to stop it, even at the cost of one's life.
In an interview to an ultra-Orthodox new service earlier this month he said "the fight continues against those who defile" God.
"I do not accept this court's authority," said a defiant Yishai Shlissel, representing himself at a hearing. "This court is part of the mechanism of evil," Haaretz newspaper's website quoted him as saying at the Jerusalem magistrate's court.
"I have no interest in cooperating at all. I do not recognise any of the regime's institutions," he said.
Police said Shlissel's detention was extended for 12 days. Separately, In a court in southern Israel, police took a 41-year-old orthodox Jew for a remand hearing, after arresting him overnight for a social media posting in support of Schlissel's attempted murders.
On Thursday, the suspect wrote on his Facebook page: "Yishai Shlissel, if you decided to stab for the second time... couldn't you have carried out the job a bit more efficiently????? Unfortunately you won't be let out anytime soon, you would have at least been able to kill a few of those damned perverts!!!!!"
Police said the suspect, a resident of southern city Kirya Malachi whose name was withheld, was to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He had told police arresting him that he would continue inciting against homosexuals, and it was his dream to be famous.
On Thursday night Shlissel stormed the parade with a knife, attacking six before being quickly arrested amid pandemonium in Jerusalem's city center.The parade and its hundreds of marchers pushed ahead defiantly, even with blood on the road. A 17-year-old woman remained in serious condition while a 26-year-old man was stable. Four others had light to moderate injuries.
Shlissel was released from jail three weeks ago after having served a 10-year sentence for wounding three marchers in an attack on a Gay Pride parade in 2005. Shlissel had posted a letter on the Internet speaking of the "abomination" of a Gay Pride parade being held in the Holy City and the need to stop it, even at the cost of one's life.
In an interview to an ultra-Orthodox new service earlier this month he said "the fight continues against those who defile" God.
In a column written for Yedioth Ahronoth, the Zionist Union MK writes that 'it is no longer possible to remain silent' and that 'this is the time to fight the great darkness'..
A day after a stabbing attack at the gay pride parade in Jerusalem wounded six people, MK Itzik Shmuli (Zionist Union) on Friday announced that he was gay.
Shmuli wrote in a column published in Ynet's sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth that "it is no longer possible to remain silent."
"We can no longer remain silent because the knife is raised against the neck of the entire LGBT community, my community," wrote Shmuli. "It will not stop there. This is the time to fight the great darkness."
"This terrible criminal act that once again happened in "the city of God", is an attack on all of us," he continued. It attacks the right of all of us to be different, make our choices, accept differences and include the other."
Shmuli further wrote: "Israeli society is wounded, it has been stabbed in the stomach. It is losing its compassion for other people just because they are different. It is losing its acceptance of others. There is a direct connection between those hanging loudspeakers in front of a hostel for autistic children to keep them away to those people who stab people whose only desire is to live according to their conscience and desire."
"On behalf of what God did the despicable criminal charge at a crowd of marchers yesterday?" Shmuli continued. "In the name of what religion did he draw his knife and begin to stab once. And again. And once again," he wrote concerning the stabbing attack carried out by Yishai Schlissel, who had stabbed three marchers in a gay pride parade in 2005.
Shmuli was elected to the Knesset after becoming known as one of the leaders of the social protest in 2011, when he served as chairman of the student union.
Gay pride stabber's remand extended for 12 days
Yishai Shlissel, who stabbed six people at the gay pride parade in Jerusalem on Thursday, had his remand extended in court on Friday morning.
Shlissel represented himself in the hearing and refused to cooperate, claiming the court was illegitimate. Attorney Asher Ohayon, who represented him in the past, made the announcement on Friday, and said Shlissel would continue to consult him outside of court regarding his legal issues.
A day after a stabbing attack at the gay pride parade in Jerusalem wounded six people, MK Itzik Shmuli (Zionist Union) on Friday announced that he was gay.
Shmuli wrote in a column published in Ynet's sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth that "it is no longer possible to remain silent."
"We can no longer remain silent because the knife is raised against the neck of the entire LGBT community, my community," wrote Shmuli. "It will not stop there. This is the time to fight the great darkness."
"This terrible criminal act that once again happened in "the city of God", is an attack on all of us," he continued. It attacks the right of all of us to be different, make our choices, accept differences and include the other."
Shmuli further wrote: "Israeli society is wounded, it has been stabbed in the stomach. It is losing its compassion for other people just because they are different. It is losing its acceptance of others. There is a direct connection between those hanging loudspeakers in front of a hostel for autistic children to keep them away to those people who stab people whose only desire is to live according to their conscience and desire."
"On behalf of what God did the despicable criminal charge at a crowd of marchers yesterday?" Shmuli continued. "In the name of what religion did he draw his knife and begin to stab once. And again. And once again," he wrote concerning the stabbing attack carried out by Yishai Schlissel, who had stabbed three marchers in a gay pride parade in 2005.
Shmuli was elected to the Knesset after becoming known as one of the leaders of the social protest in 2011, when he served as chairman of the student union.
Gay pride stabber's remand extended for 12 days
Yishai Shlissel, who stabbed six people at the gay pride parade in Jerusalem on Thursday, had his remand extended in court on Friday morning.
Shlissel represented himself in the hearing and refused to cooperate, claiming the court was illegitimate. Attorney Asher Ohayon, who represented him in the past, made the announcement on Friday, and said Shlissel would continue to consult him outside of court regarding his legal issues.
30 july 2015
The precise moment of the stabbing, caught on camera
In wake of Jerusalem gay pride parade stabbing attack, education minister says no one in Israel should 'fear walking outside due to their lifestyle.'
Right-wing Education Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday night that he would "dramatically" increase state funding for the Israel Gay Youth (IGY) organization, which serves as a support system for LGBT minors in the school system.
The unexpected announcement came in the wake of a stabbing attack at the Jerusalem gay pride parade earlier in the afternoon, where six people were wounded and one was in critical condition.
One suspect was arrested and identified as Yishai Shlissel who was also responsible for a similar attack on the gay pride parade in 2005. Shlissel subsequently served 10 years in prison and was released in June. Bennett called an urgent meeting of his staff after the attack and condemned the incident saying, "I won't allow any youth in Israel to fear walking outside due to their lifestyle."
The education minister and chairman of the Bayit Yehudi party said on Twitter that the additional funds would be joined by a new program to help prevent instances of incitement against the LGBT community.
Bennett has often faced sharp criticism from Israel's gay community, namely for the policies of his party and his inclusion of Bezalel Smotrich who organized the "Beast Parade" in 2006 in mockery of Jerusalem's gay pride parade. Bennett also tweeted that Shlissel had attacked the morals of the Jewish faith and said that the attacker should receive the most severe punishment possible.
Interior security minister Gilad Erdan responded by appointing a special investigation team to examine the circumstances of the stabbing and the reasons why security forces were unable to prevent the attack.
Additional officials harshly condemned the attack including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who called the event a "deplorable hate crime."
In wake of Jerusalem gay pride parade stabbing attack, education minister says no one in Israel should 'fear walking outside due to their lifestyle.'
Right-wing Education Minister Naftali Bennett said Thursday night that he would "dramatically" increase state funding for the Israel Gay Youth (IGY) organization, which serves as a support system for LGBT minors in the school system.
The unexpected announcement came in the wake of a stabbing attack at the Jerusalem gay pride parade earlier in the afternoon, where six people were wounded and one was in critical condition.
One suspect was arrested and identified as Yishai Shlissel who was also responsible for a similar attack on the gay pride parade in 2005. Shlissel subsequently served 10 years in prison and was released in June. Bennett called an urgent meeting of his staff after the attack and condemned the incident saying, "I won't allow any youth in Israel to fear walking outside due to their lifestyle."
The education minister and chairman of the Bayit Yehudi party said on Twitter that the additional funds would be joined by a new program to help prevent instances of incitement against the LGBT community.
Bennett has often faced sharp criticism from Israel's gay community, namely for the policies of his party and his inclusion of Bezalel Smotrich who organized the "Beast Parade" in 2006 in mockery of Jerusalem's gay pride parade. Bennett also tweeted that Shlissel had attacked the morals of the Jewish faith and said that the attacker should receive the most severe punishment possible.
Interior security minister Gilad Erdan responded by appointing a special investigation team to examine the circumstances of the stabbing and the reasons why security forces were unable to prevent the attack.
Additional officials harshly condemned the attack including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who called the event a "deplorable hate crime."
Arrested suspect identified as Yishai Shlissel after six marchers in Jerusalem evacuated to hospital; attacker previously wounded three in stabbing at 2005 Jerusalem gay pride parade.
Six people were stabbed Thursday afternoon during Jerusalem's annual gay pride parade and one Haredi suspect was arrested and identified as Yishai Shlissel, who carried out a similar attack in 2005 in which three marchers were wounded.
The wounded received treatment at the scene and were evacuated to hospitals. Four remained hospitalized past midnight, including a 16-year-old girl who's life was still in danger.
Shlissel was imprisoned for the stabbing in 2005. He was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison, but was released early, just one month ago, on good behavior.
In a statment from his office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the attack,
"We are talking about a very serious incident," he said. "We will find justice with the perpetrators. In the State of Israel the freedom of personal choice is one of the basic values we cherish. We must guarantee that in Israel, every man and women will live in safety in any way they choose."
Criticism of security forces was quick to hit social media. Concerned parties suggested that Shlissel shouldn't have been released or should have been carefully monitored leading up to the gay pride parade.
Officers providing security at the march were given intelligence reports along with the profiles of suspect individuals who could interfere with the parade or try to harm those marching. Shlissel's profile was included in the reports.
Interior security minister Gilad Erdan convened a meeting following the event to address the concerns, and decided to appoint a special investigation team to examine the circumstances of the stabbing.
Criticism of security forces was quick to hit social media. Concerned parties suggested that Shlissel shouldn't have been released or should have been carefully monitored leading up to the gay pride parade.
Officers providing security at the march were given intelligence reports along with the profiles of suspect individuals who could interfere with the parade or try to harm those marching. Shlissel's profile was included in the reports.
Interior security minister Gilad Erdan convened a meeting following the event to address the concerns, and decided to appoint a special investigation team to examine the circumstances of the stabbing.
The attack came just minutes into Jerusalem's yearly gay pride parade, which began with a lighter atmosphere. Thousands were in attendence, including government officials from the Meretz party and the Zionist Union.
Over 500 attended 2014's parade, which included tourists and even members of East Jerusalem's Arab gay community. The event is considered controversial by many, and regularly faces protest from right-wing organizations.
Six people were stabbed Thursday afternoon during Jerusalem's annual gay pride parade and one Haredi suspect was arrested and identified as Yishai Shlissel, who carried out a similar attack in 2005 in which three marchers were wounded.
The wounded received treatment at the scene and were evacuated to hospitals. Four remained hospitalized past midnight, including a 16-year-old girl who's life was still in danger.
Shlissel was imprisoned for the stabbing in 2005. He was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison, but was released early, just one month ago, on good behavior.
In a statment from his office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the attack,
"We are talking about a very serious incident," he said. "We will find justice with the perpetrators. In the State of Israel the freedom of personal choice is one of the basic values we cherish. We must guarantee that in Israel, every man and women will live in safety in any way they choose."
Criticism of security forces was quick to hit social media. Concerned parties suggested that Shlissel shouldn't have been released or should have been carefully monitored leading up to the gay pride parade.
Officers providing security at the march were given intelligence reports along with the profiles of suspect individuals who could interfere with the parade or try to harm those marching. Shlissel's profile was included in the reports.
Interior security minister Gilad Erdan convened a meeting following the event to address the concerns, and decided to appoint a special investigation team to examine the circumstances of the stabbing.
Criticism of security forces was quick to hit social media. Concerned parties suggested that Shlissel shouldn't have been released or should have been carefully monitored leading up to the gay pride parade.
Officers providing security at the march were given intelligence reports along with the profiles of suspect individuals who could interfere with the parade or try to harm those marching. Shlissel's profile was included in the reports.
Interior security minister Gilad Erdan convened a meeting following the event to address the concerns, and decided to appoint a special investigation team to examine the circumstances of the stabbing.
The attack came just minutes into Jerusalem's yearly gay pride parade, which began with a lighter atmosphere. Thousands were in attendence, including government officials from the Meretz party and the Zionist Union.
Over 500 attended 2014's parade, which included tourists and even members of East Jerusalem's Arab gay community. The event is considered controversial by many, and regularly faces protest from right-wing organizations.
29 july 2015
The alledged arsonists in court
Shin Bet says two young men are followers of 'extremist ideology' that believes 'only someone who fights Christianity can call himself a Jew'.
Two Israeli men, described by authorities as Jewish extremists, were charged on Wednesday with torching part of a church at the site where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
The June 18 arson attack followed more than 40 suspected hate crimes committed against churches, mosques and monasteries in Israel and then West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2009, with only a handful of indictments handed down.
In a statement, the Shin Bet identified the two suspects, aged 19 and 20 and wearing kippahs in court, as followers of an "extremist ideology" that believes that "only someone who fights Christianity can call himself a Jew".
No pleas were entered during the court hearing in Nazareth. The limestone Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, was constructed in the 1980s and is overseen by the Benedictine Order.
It was built on the site of 4th and 5th century churches that commemorated what Christian faithful revere as Jesus's miraculous feeding of 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. The fire damaged the church's roof, and a verse from a Hebrew prayer denouncing the worship of "false gods" was spraypainted in red on a wall.
Father Matthias Karl, a German monk from the church, said a souvenir shop, an office for pilgrims and a meeting room were badly damaged, and Bibles and prayer books were destroyed in the fire.
"It's totally destroyed. The fire was very active," he said.
A monk and a church volunteer were hospitalized from smoke inhalation, but the prayer area of the church was unaffected by the fire, he said.
Shin Bet says two young men are followers of 'extremist ideology' that believes 'only someone who fights Christianity can call himself a Jew'.
Two Israeli men, described by authorities as Jewish extremists, were charged on Wednesday with torching part of a church at the site where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes.
The June 18 arson attack followed more than 40 suspected hate crimes committed against churches, mosques and monasteries in Israel and then West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2009, with only a handful of indictments handed down.
In a statement, the Shin Bet identified the two suspects, aged 19 and 20 and wearing kippahs in court, as followers of an "extremist ideology" that believes that "only someone who fights Christianity can call himself a Jew".
No pleas were entered during the court hearing in Nazareth. The limestone Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, was constructed in the 1980s and is overseen by the Benedictine Order.
It was built on the site of 4th and 5th century churches that commemorated what Christian faithful revere as Jesus's miraculous feeding of 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. The fire damaged the church's roof, and a verse from a Hebrew prayer denouncing the worship of "false gods" was spraypainted in red on a wall.
Father Matthias Karl, a German monk from the church, said a souvenir shop, an office for pilgrims and a meeting room were badly damaged, and Bibles and prayer books were destroyed in the fire.
"It's totally destroyed. The fire was very active," he said.
A monk and a church volunteer were hospitalized from smoke inhalation, but the prayer area of the church was unaffected by the fire, he said.
28 july 2015
Officials join families in defiantly repopulating Sa-Nur, a settlement abandoned in the disengagement, as youths battle security forces for control of Beit El near Ramallah.
Violence erupted in the settlement of Beit El near Ramallah late Wednesday night when a group of approximately 200 young adults took control of the so-called Draynoff buildings, two housing structures which the High Court ordered be torn down Sunday night.
Security forces arrested 50 of the activists according to Honenu, an organization that offers legal help to Israelis. The rest of those protesting in Beit El were removed using riot control measures. The activists claimed that security forces used tear gas was inside the buildings in an attempt to remove those present.
The area was designated as a closed military zone and Israeli Border Police occupied the Draynoff buildings in order to prevent the return of the violent protesters.
Meanwhile, some 250 people, including dozens of families that were removed from the Sa-Nur settlement in the West Bank during the disengagement in 2005, returned to the village overnight without approval from Israeli security forces.
Government officials joined the group, including Bayit HaYehudi MK Bezalel Smotrich and Professor Aryeh Eldad. The entered the fort-like structure that remains standing in Sa-Nur with the intention of permanently returning to the settlement.
"Ten years after the disengagement, it's about time to fix things. And that begins here, in northern Samaria," said Smotrich in a press release. "Families have begun settling into the rooms of the fort with the intention of staying for some time. We don't intend to move from here."
Violence erupted in the settlement of Beit El near Ramallah late Wednesday night when a group of approximately 200 young adults took control of the so-called Draynoff buildings, two housing structures which the High Court ordered be torn down Sunday night.
Security forces arrested 50 of the activists according to Honenu, an organization that offers legal help to Israelis. The rest of those protesting in Beit El were removed using riot control measures. The activists claimed that security forces used tear gas was inside the buildings in an attempt to remove those present.
The area was designated as a closed military zone and Israeli Border Police occupied the Draynoff buildings in order to prevent the return of the violent protesters.
Meanwhile, some 250 people, including dozens of families that were removed from the Sa-Nur settlement in the West Bank during the disengagement in 2005, returned to the village overnight without approval from Israeli security forces.
Government officials joined the group, including Bayit HaYehudi MK Bezalel Smotrich and Professor Aryeh Eldad. The entered the fort-like structure that remains standing in Sa-Nur with the intention of permanently returning to the settlement.
"Ten years after the disengagement, it's about time to fix things. And that begins here, in northern Samaria," said Smotrich in a press release. "Families have begun settling into the rooms of the fort with the intention of staying for some time. We don't intend to move from here."
25 july 2015
A prosecutor's declaration was filed on Friday to the Nazareth Magistrate's Court against Israeli rabbi Ezra Sheinberg from Safed city after dozens of women have filed complaints of sexual abuses.
The court ruled for the extension of Sheinberg's remand pending further investigation. An indictment against Sheinberg is expected to be filed in the Nazareth District Court next week.
Israeli media outlets said Sheinberg was arrested while trying to flee Israel at Ben-Gurion Airport earlier this month.
Over the past few years, scores of women have publicly spoken about the abuse they suffered, with many providing testimonies and affidavits on being molested by Israeli army and police officers against their will.
The court ruled for the extension of Sheinberg's remand pending further investigation. An indictment against Sheinberg is expected to be filed in the Nazareth District Court next week.
Israeli media outlets said Sheinberg was arrested while trying to flee Israel at Ben-Gurion Airport earlier this month.
Over the past few years, scores of women have publicly spoken about the abuse they suffered, with many providing testimonies and affidavits on being molested by Israeli army and police officers against their will.
23 july 2015
Woman was released from the IDF only 5 days before going on vacation with her family and forgot to remove the M-16 bullets from her bag.
An Israeli in her 20s on her way to Thailand on vacation was arrested on Wednesday at the Bangkok Airport after security found 13 bullets for an M-16 rifle in her bag, forgotten there after she was released from the IDF only five days prior.
She was questioned at a police station in the airport, and on Thursday she is expected to be brought in front of a military judge. The young woman landed in Bangkok on a layover on her way to Chiang Mai when the bullets were discovered.
It is unclear why the bullets were not discovered during the security check at Ben-Gurion Airport.
Israel's Embassy in Bangkok has come to the aid of the young Israeli and will try to explain to the Thai that this was an innocent mistake. In recent years, several Israeli citizens were arrested abroad when bullets forgotten there after their army service were found in their luggage.
India is where this has happened most. The latest such incident happened last October when Shai Magen from Tel Aviv was arrested in the New Delhi Airport after a bullet was found in his bag. He was released six hours later with the aid of the Israeli consul.
The most well-known case was that of tourist guide Gili Heskin, who was arrested in India ten years ago after a single bullet was found in his bag. He spent 20 days in jail and was then on house arrest for half a year, after which he was finally allowed to return to Israel.
An Israeli in her 20s on her way to Thailand on vacation was arrested on Wednesday at the Bangkok Airport after security found 13 bullets for an M-16 rifle in her bag, forgotten there after she was released from the IDF only five days prior.
She was questioned at a police station in the airport, and on Thursday she is expected to be brought in front of a military judge. The young woman landed in Bangkok on a layover on her way to Chiang Mai when the bullets were discovered.
It is unclear why the bullets were not discovered during the security check at Ben-Gurion Airport.
Israel's Embassy in Bangkok has come to the aid of the young Israeli and will try to explain to the Thai that this was an innocent mistake. In recent years, several Israeli citizens were arrested abroad when bullets forgotten there after their army service were found in their luggage.
India is where this has happened most. The latest such incident happened last October when Shai Magen from Tel Aviv was arrested in the New Delhi Airport after a bullet was found in his bag. He was released six hours later with the aid of the Israeli consul.
The most well-known case was that of tourist guide Gili Heskin, who was arrested in India ten years ago after a single bullet was found in his bag. He spent 20 days in jail and was then on house arrest for half a year, after which he was finally allowed to return to Israel.
Rally calling on state to reopen investigation into Gal Beck affair
Gal Beck, a 16-year-old from Tel Aviv, was killed 10 years ago after being hit by a car; the driver, who comes from a well-connected family, was never prosecuted although a recent Channel 1 inquiry reveals police determined that she had run a red light.
The Knesset decided Wednesday to reopen investigations into a road accident in Tel Aviv 10 years ago which left Gal Beck, a 16-year-old cyclist, dead. The decision comes in the wake of allegations that facts in the case were covered up.
"The prosecution has resumed the investigation, reopened the case and will collect new evidence," said Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked.
The Beck family has been claiming for years that the case was closed for unclear motives. On the night of the accident, Beck and his friend were each riding his own motor scooter. As they were waiting to turn left at a traffic light in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood, Beck was hit by a car and thrown a large distance.
Earlier this week, a taxi driver who allegedly witnessed the accident provided a new testimony to the police after a Channel 1 inquiry revealed that the testimony she had delivered a decade ago did not match what had actually happened.
The taxi driver, however, repeated her original testimony that the woman who hit Beck did not run a red light. Her testimony was the main evidence which led the State Prosecutor's Office to decide not to reopen the case. The taxi driver did not explain why she was caught by the Channel 1 camera providing a different version of the accident.
According to the Channel 1 inquiry, eyewitnesses contradicted the version provided by the driver who hit Beck and by the taxi driver, that she had entered the intersection on a green light. The case was closed within several weeks, and the driver, who comes from a wealthy and well-connected family, was never prosecuted.
The Channel 1 inquiry revealed that a police inspector had determined that the driver did run a red light and lied about the speed she was driving in. According to the inquiry, the police inspector chose not to refer to the taxi driver's testimony in his conclusions, as she had placed Beck in the wrong location according to the findings and evidence.
Nonetheless, the State Prosecutor's Office ignored the inspector's stand and the police's recommendation to prosecutor the driver and decided to close the case.
The State Prosecutor's Office said Sunday that there was no intention of reopening the case as a long time had passed since the accident, and therefore there would be no way to prosecute the driver for causing death by negligence due to the statute of limitations for criminal offenses.
Beck's family was disappointed by the decision but said that it would appeal it.
"I think the Tel Aviv Prosecutor's Office is simply evading the case. It originally closed the case hastily and is now creating difficulties in order to curb the attempts to reopen it," said Oded Beck, Gal's father. "There are many inaccuracies in what they are saying."
Gal Beck, a 16-year-old from Tel Aviv, was killed 10 years ago after being hit by a car; the driver, who comes from a well-connected family, was never prosecuted although a recent Channel 1 inquiry reveals police determined that she had run a red light.
The Knesset decided Wednesday to reopen investigations into a road accident in Tel Aviv 10 years ago which left Gal Beck, a 16-year-old cyclist, dead. The decision comes in the wake of allegations that facts in the case were covered up.
"The prosecution has resumed the investigation, reopened the case and will collect new evidence," said Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked.
The Beck family has been claiming for years that the case was closed for unclear motives. On the night of the accident, Beck and his friend were each riding his own motor scooter. As they were waiting to turn left at a traffic light in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood, Beck was hit by a car and thrown a large distance.
Earlier this week, a taxi driver who allegedly witnessed the accident provided a new testimony to the police after a Channel 1 inquiry revealed that the testimony she had delivered a decade ago did not match what had actually happened.
The taxi driver, however, repeated her original testimony that the woman who hit Beck did not run a red light. Her testimony was the main evidence which led the State Prosecutor's Office to decide not to reopen the case. The taxi driver did not explain why she was caught by the Channel 1 camera providing a different version of the accident.
According to the Channel 1 inquiry, eyewitnesses contradicted the version provided by the driver who hit Beck and by the taxi driver, that she had entered the intersection on a green light. The case was closed within several weeks, and the driver, who comes from a wealthy and well-connected family, was never prosecuted.
The Channel 1 inquiry revealed that a police inspector had determined that the driver did run a red light and lied about the speed she was driving in. According to the inquiry, the police inspector chose not to refer to the taxi driver's testimony in his conclusions, as she had placed Beck in the wrong location according to the findings and evidence.
Nonetheless, the State Prosecutor's Office ignored the inspector's stand and the police's recommendation to prosecutor the driver and decided to close the case.
The State Prosecutor's Office said Sunday that there was no intention of reopening the case as a long time had passed since the accident, and therefore there would be no way to prosecute the driver for causing death by negligence due to the statute of limitations for criminal offenses.
Beck's family was disappointed by the decision but said that it would appeal it.
"I think the Tel Aviv Prosecutor's Office is simply evading the case. It originally closed the case hastily and is now creating difficulties in order to curb the attempts to reopen it," said Oded Beck, Gal's father. "There are many inaccuracies in what they are saying."
22 july 2015
Two of the perpetrators get at least two years jail time and ordered to compensate Jerusalem school; 'It was worth it,' they said upon leaving the courtroom smiling.
The Jerusalem bilingual school arsonists, brothers Nahman and Shlomo Twito, were sentenced on Wednesday to two and a half and two years imprisonment, respectively.
The trial of the third accused, Yitzhak Gabai, is still ongoing because he did not confess and has yet to be convicted.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court gave Shlomo Twito eight months suspended sentence for three years following his release, and ordered him to pay NIS 10,000 in compensation to the bilingual school. His brother Nahman received ten months of suspended sentence, and ordered to pay the school NIS 15,000 in compensation.
The two left the courtroom smiling, singing songs in praise of God and claiming that "it was worth it." Security cameras captured the arson on tape.
The young men are members of the Lehava organization - a far right-wing group whose prime objective is to oppose assimilation of Jews, especially marriages between Jews and non-Jews.
After being caught, the three perpetrators said they vandalized and burned the school to protest the fact Jews and Arabs were attending it together and in order to raise their objection to intermarriage and assimilation to the public's attention.
The Twito brothers' mother told Ynet that "It’s disgusting that Jews and Arabs learn side by side. If we didn’t have a country governed by law, I would have done the same."
In his decision, Judge Zvi Segal referred to inciting posts the accused made on Facebook: "The freedom of expression is a fundamental principle in our country. As citizens of a democratic state, we must show the utmost of tolerance to expressions that are not easy to hear. However, freedom of expression cannot be a permission to commit acts of violence and terrorism. Those who incite to violence seek to harm and destroy the state's laws, public safety and public order."
Nihad Rashid, chairman of the bilingual school's steering committee said, "We respect the court's decision, but regret the leniency of the sentence. One of the defendants let out a dangerous statement according to which it was worth doing it. I hope this is not the message that will come out of the courthouse."
The school in Jerusalem's Pat neighborhood was set on fire at the end of November 2014. Firefighters called to the school found graffiti including "Death to Arabs", "Kahane was right" and statements condemning coexistence.
Hatem Matar, chairman of the school's PTA said immediately after the incident that contrary to previous incidents, this arson was perpetrated on school premises, and resulted in the first grade class being completely burned down.
"This arson was made by contemptible creatures. We will open the school as we normally do, we have already arranged for an alternative class. We will explain to the children what happened, we will come to school and strengthen them. This incident could only have beneficial effects, since every time they try to drag into these negative realms we just grow stronger," said Matar.
The young people arrested were active in an organization that fights assimilation, and they have a criminal record of nationalistically motivated acts. Two of them later signed a plea bargain with the Jerusalem district's prosecutor's office, and were convicted by the city's district court with an amended indictment that did not attribute to them offenses with a racist motive.
The arson at the Jerusalem school occurred at the height of tensions between the Arab and the Jewish communities on the background of the abduction and murder of the three teenagers, the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir and Operation Protective Edge.
The Jerusalem bilingual school arsonists, brothers Nahman and Shlomo Twito, were sentenced on Wednesday to two and a half and two years imprisonment, respectively.
The trial of the third accused, Yitzhak Gabai, is still ongoing because he did not confess and has yet to be convicted.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court gave Shlomo Twito eight months suspended sentence for three years following his release, and ordered him to pay NIS 10,000 in compensation to the bilingual school. His brother Nahman received ten months of suspended sentence, and ordered to pay the school NIS 15,000 in compensation.
The two left the courtroom smiling, singing songs in praise of God and claiming that "it was worth it." Security cameras captured the arson on tape.
The young men are members of the Lehava organization - a far right-wing group whose prime objective is to oppose assimilation of Jews, especially marriages between Jews and non-Jews.
After being caught, the three perpetrators said they vandalized and burned the school to protest the fact Jews and Arabs were attending it together and in order to raise their objection to intermarriage and assimilation to the public's attention.
The Twito brothers' mother told Ynet that "It’s disgusting that Jews and Arabs learn side by side. If we didn’t have a country governed by law, I would have done the same."
In his decision, Judge Zvi Segal referred to inciting posts the accused made on Facebook: "The freedom of expression is a fundamental principle in our country. As citizens of a democratic state, we must show the utmost of tolerance to expressions that are not easy to hear. However, freedom of expression cannot be a permission to commit acts of violence and terrorism. Those who incite to violence seek to harm and destroy the state's laws, public safety and public order."
Nihad Rashid, chairman of the bilingual school's steering committee said, "We respect the court's decision, but regret the leniency of the sentence. One of the defendants let out a dangerous statement according to which it was worth doing it. I hope this is not the message that will come out of the courthouse."
The school in Jerusalem's Pat neighborhood was set on fire at the end of November 2014. Firefighters called to the school found graffiti including "Death to Arabs", "Kahane was right" and statements condemning coexistence.
Hatem Matar, chairman of the school's PTA said immediately after the incident that contrary to previous incidents, this arson was perpetrated on school premises, and resulted in the first grade class being completely burned down.
"This arson was made by contemptible creatures. We will open the school as we normally do, we have already arranged for an alternative class. We will explain to the children what happened, we will come to school and strengthen them. This incident could only have beneficial effects, since every time they try to drag into these negative realms we just grow stronger," said Matar.
The young people arrested were active in an organization that fights assimilation, and they have a criminal record of nationalistically motivated acts. Two of them later signed a plea bargain with the Jerusalem district's prosecutor's office, and were convicted by the city's district court with an amended indictment that did not attribute to them offenses with a racist motive.
The arson at the Jerusalem school occurred at the height of tensions between the Arab and the Jewish communities on the background of the abduction and murder of the three teenagers, the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir and Operation Protective Edge.
