29 dec 2019
Investigators believe Evyatar Azarzar, 18, was tricked into attending a meeting area with members of criminal underworld and was subsequently killer; family and friends say he was trying to make money after being ejected from his yeshiva
Police investigators are probing suspected criminal underworld links in the murder of an 18-year-old youth from an ultra-Orthodox family in Jerusalem whose body was found near a cemetery in the central city of Ramat Hasharon on Friday.
Police believe that Evyatar Azarzar was tricked into attending a meeting in the area with members of the criminal underworld whose identities are unclear, and was subsequently murdered.
According to a police officer of the Tel Aviv District investigation team, "this is not a place to which people arrive by accident."
The family of the 18-year-old reported his absence three weeks ago, although searches conducted at the time found no clue of his whereabouts.
An emergency call was made to the police on December 8 after gunshots were heard near Morasha Interchange, not far from where Azarzar's body was eventually discovered, but police officers dispatched to the area found nothing.
Last Wednesday, police requested the help of the public with the search for Azarzar.
Two days later, his body was recovered and identified in an isolated area after eyewitnesses saw the body in a pit.
Police investigators are now attempting to trace Azarzar's trail to his murder, with relatives telling them that the 18-year-old had been in trouble with several criminals and even conducted a dubious relationship with them.
As far as is known, Azarzar left his Jerusalem home and moved to the ultra-Orthodox central city of Bnei Brak, where he continued to dress as a Haredi Jew.
Police are investigating several lines of inquiry, including whether Azarzar was taken to the scene by force, shot dead and then thrown in the pit or if he was murdered at another location and then his body dumped where it was found. Police do believe that the murder was well thought out.
A close friend of the family said that Azarzar was a good boy, loved by his relatives and friends and that he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Investigators, however, suspect that Azarzar had information about an unidentified criminal and are therefore not excluding the possibility he was shot due to his connection to crime syndicates.
According to various family members and friends, Azarzar was kicked out of an ultra-Orthodox educational institution, which led him to criminal activity.
"He stopped going to his yeshiva studies, he didn't know how to make money and had to finance himself," a family friend said.
"In order to make money, he started making connections with criminals, it could be [the murder] was an honor thing."
Azarzar's funeral is planned for Monday at 12pm at the Sephardic cemetery on Mount HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.
Police investigators are probing suspected criminal underworld links in the murder of an 18-year-old youth from an ultra-Orthodox family in Jerusalem whose body was found near a cemetery in the central city of Ramat Hasharon on Friday.
Police believe that Evyatar Azarzar was tricked into attending a meeting in the area with members of the criminal underworld whose identities are unclear, and was subsequently murdered.
According to a police officer of the Tel Aviv District investigation team, "this is not a place to which people arrive by accident."
The family of the 18-year-old reported his absence three weeks ago, although searches conducted at the time found no clue of his whereabouts.
An emergency call was made to the police on December 8 after gunshots were heard near Morasha Interchange, not far from where Azarzar's body was eventually discovered, but police officers dispatched to the area found nothing.
Last Wednesday, police requested the help of the public with the search for Azarzar.
Two days later, his body was recovered and identified in an isolated area after eyewitnesses saw the body in a pit.
Police investigators are now attempting to trace Azarzar's trail to his murder, with relatives telling them that the 18-year-old had been in trouble with several criminals and even conducted a dubious relationship with them.
As far as is known, Azarzar left his Jerusalem home and moved to the ultra-Orthodox central city of Bnei Brak, where he continued to dress as a Haredi Jew.
Police are investigating several lines of inquiry, including whether Azarzar was taken to the scene by force, shot dead and then thrown in the pit or if he was murdered at another location and then his body dumped where it was found. Police do believe that the murder was well thought out.
A close friend of the family said that Azarzar was a good boy, loved by his relatives and friends and that he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Investigators, however, suspect that Azarzar had information about an unidentified criminal and are therefore not excluding the possibility he was shot due to his connection to crime syndicates.
According to various family members and friends, Azarzar was kicked out of an ultra-Orthodox educational institution, which led him to criminal activity.
"He stopped going to his yeshiva studies, he didn't know how to make money and had to finance himself," a family friend said.
"In order to make money, he started making connections with criminals, it could be [the murder] was an honor thing."
Azarzar's funeral is planned for Monday at 12pm at the Sephardic cemetery on Mount HaMenuchot in Jerusalem.
26 dec 2019
An extremist Jewish settler on Wednesday stormed the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City of Occupied Jerusalem carrying a big knife.
According to eyewitnesses, the Church was filled with worshipers and foreign pilgrims marking the occasion of Christmas when a knife-wielding settler stormed it.
The settler caused great panic among the Christian worshipers at the holy site.
Luckily, no one was hurt by the settler, who was arrested by police officers and escorted out of the holy site.
According to eyewitnesses, the Church was filled with worshipers and foreign pilgrims marking the occasion of Christmas when a knife-wielding settler stormed it.
The settler caused great panic among the Christian worshipers at the holy site.
Luckily, no one was hurt by the settler, who was arrested by police officers and escorted out of the holy site.
24 dec 2019
The indictment against Shalom Hazan says he groomed two boys and two girls at his synagogue, groped and kissed them on multiple occasions; the community rabbi maintains he treated the children 'like a loving grandfather'
A Jerusalem rabbi was sentenced to four years in prison for sexually abusing at least four children at his synagogue.
The Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday sentenced Shalom Hazan, a community rabbi in the capital, for committing indecent acts with children under 16.
Hazan was convicted for abusing two boys and two girls, aged 6-12, whom he met at his synagogue where they assisted him with chores and studied Torah. He was ordered to compensate the victims with a sum of NIS 40,000.
The indictment against Hazan was filed nearly a year ago and detailed the manner in which the rabbi groomed the victims and sexually exploited them.
According to the indictment, he sat the children down on his knees, groped them and kissed them on multiple occasions. He then bribed the children money and gifts in order to keep them from speaking up about the ordeal.
During the trial, Hazan maintained that he did not harm the children and treated them “like a loving grandfather.”
"A community rabbi who is supposed to support and comfort to the general public, including parents and children, has turned into an abuser,” said Attorney Shimrit Wolf of the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office following the sentencing.
“He bought the children gifts, he developed this method and used it to hurt child after child,” she said. “The defendant took advantage of his power and status, the admiration the children felt for him, thereby violating their rights."
A Jerusalem rabbi was sentenced to four years in prison for sexually abusing at least four children at his synagogue.
The Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday sentenced Shalom Hazan, a community rabbi in the capital, for committing indecent acts with children under 16.
Hazan was convicted for abusing two boys and two girls, aged 6-12, whom he met at his synagogue where they assisted him with chores and studied Torah. He was ordered to compensate the victims with a sum of NIS 40,000.
The indictment against Hazan was filed nearly a year ago and detailed the manner in which the rabbi groomed the victims and sexually exploited them.
According to the indictment, he sat the children down on his knees, groped them and kissed them on multiple occasions. He then bribed the children money and gifts in order to keep them from speaking up about the ordeal.
During the trial, Hazan maintained that he did not harm the children and treated them “like a loving grandfather.”
"A community rabbi who is supposed to support and comfort to the general public, including parents and children, has turned into an abuser,” said Attorney Shimrit Wolf of the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office following the sentencing.
“He bought the children gifts, he developed this method and used it to hurt child after child,” she said. “The defendant took advantage of his power and status, the admiration the children felt for him, thereby violating their rights."
20 dec 2019
Members of the Hilltop Youth throwing stones at Palestinians in the West Bank
Young residents of Komi Ori outpost relocated when site was declared closed military zone after repeated clashes; since their arrival in area of Bat Ayin settlement, there has been a leap in instances of hate crimes against local Palestinian population and the IDF has a strong sense of who is to blame
The West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin has seen a jump in attacks on the local Palestinian community in recent weeks, leaving residents in despair and local officials scrambling to root out the culprits, thought to be young extremist settlers.
According to an Israeli security official, the IDF believes this is the work of the Hilltop Youth - young extremist settlers who set up unauthorized settlement outposts and create friction with the Palestinians who live in the West Bank.
In particular, the IDF suspects a group originating at the Komi Ori outpost, known for its violent altercations with IDF and Border Patrol troops as well as attacks on local Palestinians.
The outpost, near the settlement of Yitzhar, has now been declared a closed military area, forcing the youths to relocate to a different part of the West Bank.
Officials in Gush Etzion Regional Council, the local authority to which Bat Ayin belongs, say the spate of attacks on Palestinian property in the area began at the end of November in the village of Jab'a, where vehicles and houses were damaged and defaced with racist graffiti.
Shortly afterwards, rocks were reportedly being thrown by unknown assailants at cars driving on the road leading to the village.
A police complaint was filed, leading to the detention of two suspects, only for them to be released shortly after.
Meanwhile, equipment and houses in neighboring Palestinian villages were also being vandalized.
Bat Ayin settlers have found themselves dragged into the situation. The residents unanimously denounce such acts and are trying to stop those responsible.
Pamphlets have been distributed around the settlement condemning the attacks.
"Such acts go against our values, harm our good name and image and make our daily life a burden to bear," the leaflet says.
This week, a special meeting of residents and local army officials took place at the settlement in an effort to formulate a thorough plan of action.
The Bat Ayin residents say the group of alleged culprits consists of some 20 youths who are not long-term residents of the area.
The group has tried on several occasions to set up an outpost to the south of the settlement, in an area frequently visited by travelers.
Tag Meir, an umbrella group of organizations fighting hate crimes and racism, contacted the residents of Bat Ayin about planned a tour of the Palestinian village of Jab'a.
"We wholly object to the rock-throwing in the area," said the group.
"The security forces in their lackluster efforts to fight Jewish terrorism over the last few months have heightened the risk of innocent Palestinians being hurt," it said.
The group made an appeal to the IDF, saying that "action must be taken fast, before it is too late."
Several days ago, one of the settlement's representatives went to try to talk to the youths, explaining to them that if they wished to remain in the area, they had to "behave themselves."
Whether these words have fallen on deaf ears remains to be seen.
Young residents of Komi Ori outpost relocated when site was declared closed military zone after repeated clashes; since their arrival in area of Bat Ayin settlement, there has been a leap in instances of hate crimes against local Palestinian population and the IDF has a strong sense of who is to blame
The West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin has seen a jump in attacks on the local Palestinian community in recent weeks, leaving residents in despair and local officials scrambling to root out the culprits, thought to be young extremist settlers.
According to an Israeli security official, the IDF believes this is the work of the Hilltop Youth - young extremist settlers who set up unauthorized settlement outposts and create friction with the Palestinians who live in the West Bank.
In particular, the IDF suspects a group originating at the Komi Ori outpost, known for its violent altercations with IDF and Border Patrol troops as well as attacks on local Palestinians.
The outpost, near the settlement of Yitzhar, has now been declared a closed military area, forcing the youths to relocate to a different part of the West Bank.
Officials in Gush Etzion Regional Council, the local authority to which Bat Ayin belongs, say the spate of attacks on Palestinian property in the area began at the end of November in the village of Jab'a, where vehicles and houses were damaged and defaced with racist graffiti.
Shortly afterwards, rocks were reportedly being thrown by unknown assailants at cars driving on the road leading to the village.
A police complaint was filed, leading to the detention of two suspects, only for them to be released shortly after.
Meanwhile, equipment and houses in neighboring Palestinian villages were also being vandalized.
Bat Ayin settlers have found themselves dragged into the situation. The residents unanimously denounce such acts and are trying to stop those responsible.
Pamphlets have been distributed around the settlement condemning the attacks.
"Such acts go against our values, harm our good name and image and make our daily life a burden to bear," the leaflet says.
This week, a special meeting of residents and local army officials took place at the settlement in an effort to formulate a thorough plan of action.
The Bat Ayin residents say the group of alleged culprits consists of some 20 youths who are not long-term residents of the area.
The group has tried on several occasions to set up an outpost to the south of the settlement, in an area frequently visited by travelers.
Tag Meir, an umbrella group of organizations fighting hate crimes and racism, contacted the residents of Bat Ayin about planned a tour of the Palestinian village of Jab'a.
"We wholly object to the rock-throwing in the area," said the group.
"The security forces in their lackluster efforts to fight Jewish terrorism over the last few months have heightened the risk of innocent Palestinians being hurt," it said.
The group made an appeal to the IDF, saying that "action must be taken fast, before it is too late."
Several days ago, one of the settlement's representatives went to try to talk to the youths, explaining to them that if they wished to remain in the area, they had to "behave themselves."
Whether these words have fallen on deaf ears remains to be seen.
