Israël vandaag - 16 juli 2017.
(Israël vandaag zal voortaan in het Engels worden weergegeven. Gebruik de google-vertaling voor een beter begrip!)
TWO ISRAELI BORDER POLICEMEN KILLED IN TERROR ATTACK IN JERUSALEM:
Two Israeli Border Policemen were killed and another two were wounded in a terror attack on Friday 14 July 2017, at the entrance to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The three Israeli Arab terrorists, armed with two Carl Gustav rifles and a handgun, opened fire at the Israeli officers standing just outside the Temple Mount compound near the Old City's Lions Gate. The attackers then fled into the Temple Mount compound and were shot dead by other police officers on the scene. Three hours before the attack, two of the terrorists posted a photo on Facebook with the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the background and wrote: "The smile will be more beautiful tomorrow." (Ynet)
‘WE NEED TO CLOSE THE TEMPLE MOUNT TO MUSLIMS’:
Deputy Defense Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan responded on 14 July 2017 to the shooting attack at the Old City's Lions Gate in Jerusalem. "The Cave of the Patriarchs, the Temple Mount, and Shechem are the three places our sages told us were bought at full price in Israel," Ben-Dahan said. “We see that in the past week Palestinians have made great efforts to undermine the Jewish nation's connection to these places specifically. It started with UNESCO's decision that the Cave of the Patriarchs is a Palestinian heritage site, and it continued today with the three terrorists who carried out an attack immediately after leaving the Temple Mount. Israel must fight this effort by strengthening its rule on these areas, and must ensure that every Jew can pray in these places safely. The police did well by closing off the Temple Mount, and it should remain closed until we are certain that the area will be secure." MK Moti Yogev said, "We see the Temple Mount as a place of prayer - a place which is God's home, which will be a place of prayer for all the nations. They see it as a base for terror and hatred.” (Arutz-7)
ISRAEL OUTRAGED BY JORDAN’S REACTION TO TERROR ATTACK:
Jordan on Friday 14 July 2017, condemned the violence in Jerusalem but also demanded that Israel "immediately" reopen the Temple Mount compound for Muslim worshipers. Israel closed down the compound after the terrorist attack in the Old City in which two Israeli police officers were murdered. Footage from the attack clearly showed that the terrorists took advantage of the sanctity of the Temple Mount and of Israel’s easing of restrictions on worshipers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque to carry out their assault. Jordan’s Government Spokesman Mohammed Momani said that Jordan rejects any violation against the right of Muslims to perform their religious rituals in their holy shrines. The government, he added, has made intensive contacts to push for the immediate re-opening of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli officials were angered by Jordan’s statement and responded that "Jordan chose to attack Israel, which protects the worshipers and preserves freedom of worship in the area. Israel will not tolerate any harm to the holy sites and it maintains the status quo in them. It would be appropriate for all the parties involved, including Jordan, to maintain restraint and prevent an escalation," their statement added. Jordan is one of two Arab countries, the other being Egypt, to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. (Arutz-7)
PA PRESIDENT ABBAS CONDEMNS TEMPLE MOUNT TERROR ATTACK:
In a phone call with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Friday’s 14 July shooting attack on the Temple Mount, the official PA media agency Wafa reported. “The PA president expressed his strong rejection and condemnation of the incident that took place at the holy al-Aksa Mosque,” the Wafa report stated. “He affirmed his rejection of any violent incident carried out by any party, especially in houses of worship.” Abbas also expressed his disapproval of Israel’s decision to close the Temple Mount and called on Netanyahu to reverse it. Following the attack, Israeli security forces evacuated and closed the Temple Mount, effectively canceling Friday prayers at the holy site. Thousands of Muslims traditionally pray at the Temple Mount on Friday. Police said the Temple Mount will remain closed until the conclusion of an investigation into the attack, which they called “extreme and exceptional.” (J.Post)
INFANT AMONG 3 INJURED IN FIREBOMB ATTACK IN JERUSALEM:
An infant girl was among three people injured in a firebomb assault in Jerusalem on Friday 14 July 2017, hours after two Israeli police officers were killed in an attack by three Israeli-Arab assailants on the Temple Mount. The Molotov cocktail was thrown at a family traveling in a community security vehicle in an East Jerusalem neighborhood near the Mt. of Olives. Paramedics who rushed to the scene treated the baby and the two adults for smoke inhalation. The child was then transported to a hospital in Jerusalem. Police launched a search for the perpetrator or perpetrators. (Times of Israel)
TWO TOURISTS KILLED, FOUR INJURED IN RED SEA KNIFE ATTACK:
Two Ukrainian tourists were killed and four other tourists wounded in a knife attack at the Egyptian holiday resort of Hurghada. The assailant was arrested immediately after the stabbings on 14 July 2017. The man sneaked into a hotel by swimming from a nearby beach and assaulted the tourists. The attack came hours after five policemen were shot to death in Cairo's twin city of Giza when Islamic terrorists opened fire on their vehicle early in the morning. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Egyptian security forces have been battling the local affiliate of ISIS in the northern Sinai area and attacks have spread to other parts of Egypt. At least 23 soldiers were killed days ago when suicide car bombs hit two checkpoints in the region in an attack claimed by ISIS. The group has also intensified attacks in other areas, often targeting Coptic Christians. Church sources on Thurs. 13 July 2017, said Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians and the Egyptian Catholic church have been told by church leaders to cancel all events, camps and activities outside churches in July 2017 because of a security threat. (Ha’aretz)
ISRAEL SPENDS MILLIONS TO SHIELD SCHOOLS NEAR GAZA FROM ROCKET FIRE:
The Israel Defense Ministry announced 12 July 2017 that it has completed fortifying schools and kindergartens in communities adjacent to Gaza at a cost of tens of millions of shekels. It now plans to invest another 20 million shekels ($5.6 million) to fortify dozens of classrooms and public institutions in Ashkelon and communities in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. (Israel Hayom)
ISRAEL’S BEN-GURION AIRPORT PLACES ON WORLD TOP 10 LIST:
Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport is the 8th best airport in the world, according to Travel + Leisure magazine readers. The popular New York-based travel magazine asked readers to share their views on the world's top airports, based on travelers' experiences of access, check-in and security, food, shopping and design. It was Singapore's Changi Airport that once again took the title, finishing first for a fifth successive year. 2016 was Ben-Gurion Airport's busiest year to date, with close to 18 million passengers passing through its terminals. The airport's modern-looking Terminal 3 opened in 2004, replacing Terminal 1 as the airport's primary international flight hub. Following four months of renovations, Terminal 1, which primarily serves low-cost airlines, reopened last month. (J.Post)
(Israël vandaag zal voortaan in het Engels worden weergegeven. Gebruik de google-vertaling voor een beter begrip!)
TWO ISRAELI BORDER POLICEMEN KILLED IN TERROR ATTACK IN JERUSALEM:
Two Israeli Border Policemen were killed and another two were wounded in a terror attack on Friday 14 July 2017, at the entrance to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The three Israeli Arab terrorists, armed with two Carl Gustav rifles and a handgun, opened fire at the Israeli officers standing just outside the Temple Mount compound near the Old City's Lions Gate. The attackers then fled into the Temple Mount compound and were shot dead by other police officers on the scene. Three hours before the attack, two of the terrorists posted a photo on Facebook with the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the background and wrote: "The smile will be more beautiful tomorrow." (Ynet)
‘WE NEED TO CLOSE THE TEMPLE MOUNT TO MUSLIMS’:
Deputy Defense Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan responded on 14 July 2017 to the shooting attack at the Old City's Lions Gate in Jerusalem. "The Cave of the Patriarchs, the Temple Mount, and Shechem are the three places our sages told us were bought at full price in Israel," Ben-Dahan said. “We see that in the past week Palestinians have made great efforts to undermine the Jewish nation's connection to these places specifically. It started with UNESCO's decision that the Cave of the Patriarchs is a Palestinian heritage site, and it continued today with the three terrorists who carried out an attack immediately after leaving the Temple Mount. Israel must fight this effort by strengthening its rule on these areas, and must ensure that every Jew can pray in these places safely. The police did well by closing off the Temple Mount, and it should remain closed until we are certain that the area will be secure." MK Moti Yogev said, "We see the Temple Mount as a place of prayer - a place which is God's home, which will be a place of prayer for all the nations. They see it as a base for terror and hatred.” (Arutz-7)
ISRAEL OUTRAGED BY JORDAN’S REACTION TO TERROR ATTACK:
Jordan on Friday 14 July 2017, condemned the violence in Jerusalem but also demanded that Israel "immediately" reopen the Temple Mount compound for Muslim worshipers. Israel closed down the compound after the terrorist attack in the Old City in which two Israeli police officers were murdered. Footage from the attack clearly showed that the terrorists took advantage of the sanctity of the Temple Mount and of Israel’s easing of restrictions on worshipers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque to carry out their assault. Jordan’s Government Spokesman Mohammed Momani said that Jordan rejects any violation against the right of Muslims to perform their religious rituals in their holy shrines. The government, he added, has made intensive contacts to push for the immediate re-opening of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Israeli officials were angered by Jordan’s statement and responded that "Jordan chose to attack Israel, which protects the worshipers and preserves freedom of worship in the area. Israel will not tolerate any harm to the holy sites and it maintains the status quo in them. It would be appropriate for all the parties involved, including Jordan, to maintain restraint and prevent an escalation," their statement added. Jordan is one of two Arab countries, the other being Egypt, to have signed a peace treaty with Israel. (Arutz-7)
PA PRESIDENT ABBAS CONDEMNS TEMPLE MOUNT TERROR ATTACK:
In a phone call with PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Friday’s 14 July shooting attack on the Temple Mount, the official PA media agency Wafa reported. “The PA president expressed his strong rejection and condemnation of the incident that took place at the holy al-Aksa Mosque,” the Wafa report stated. “He affirmed his rejection of any violent incident carried out by any party, especially in houses of worship.” Abbas also expressed his disapproval of Israel’s decision to close the Temple Mount and called on Netanyahu to reverse it. Following the attack, Israeli security forces evacuated and closed the Temple Mount, effectively canceling Friday prayers at the holy site. Thousands of Muslims traditionally pray at the Temple Mount on Friday. Police said the Temple Mount will remain closed until the conclusion of an investigation into the attack, which they called “extreme and exceptional.” (J.Post)
INFANT AMONG 3 INJURED IN FIREBOMB ATTACK IN JERUSALEM:
An infant girl was among three people injured in a firebomb assault in Jerusalem on Friday 14 July 2017, hours after two Israeli police officers were killed in an attack by three Israeli-Arab assailants on the Temple Mount. The Molotov cocktail was thrown at a family traveling in a community security vehicle in an East Jerusalem neighborhood near the Mt. of Olives. Paramedics who rushed to the scene treated the baby and the two adults for smoke inhalation. The child was then transported to a hospital in Jerusalem. Police launched a search for the perpetrator or perpetrators. (Times of Israel)
TWO TOURISTS KILLED, FOUR INJURED IN RED SEA KNIFE ATTACK:
Two Ukrainian tourists were killed and four other tourists wounded in a knife attack at the Egyptian holiday resort of Hurghada. The assailant was arrested immediately after the stabbings on 14 July 2017. The man sneaked into a hotel by swimming from a nearby beach and assaulted the tourists. The attack came hours after five policemen were shot to death in Cairo's twin city of Giza when Islamic terrorists opened fire on their vehicle early in the morning. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Egyptian security forces have been battling the local affiliate of ISIS in the northern Sinai area and attacks have spread to other parts of Egypt. At least 23 soldiers were killed days ago when suicide car bombs hit two checkpoints in the region in an attack claimed by ISIS. The group has also intensified attacks in other areas, often targeting Coptic Christians. Church sources on Thurs. 13 July 2017, said Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christians and the Egyptian Catholic church have been told by church leaders to cancel all events, camps and activities outside churches in July 2017 because of a security threat. (Ha’aretz)
ISRAEL SPENDS MILLIONS TO SHIELD SCHOOLS NEAR GAZA FROM ROCKET FIRE:
The Israel Defense Ministry announced 12 July 2017 that it has completed fortifying schools and kindergartens in communities adjacent to Gaza at a cost of tens of millions of shekels. It now plans to invest another 20 million shekels ($5.6 million) to fortify dozens of classrooms and public institutions in Ashkelon and communities in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council. (Israel Hayom)
ISRAEL’S BEN-GURION AIRPORT PLACES ON WORLD TOP 10 LIST:
Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport is the 8th best airport in the world, according to Travel + Leisure magazine readers. The popular New York-based travel magazine asked readers to share their views on the world's top airports, based on travelers' experiences of access, check-in and security, food, shopping and design. It was Singapore's Changi Airport that once again took the title, finishing first for a fifth successive year. 2016 was Ben-Gurion Airport's busiest year to date, with close to 18 million passengers passing through its terminals. The airport's modern-looking Terminal 3 opened in 2004, replacing Terminal 1 as the airport's primary international flight hub. Following four months of renovations, Terminal 1, which primarily serves low-cost airlines, reopened last month. (J.Post)