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1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
Israeli fire kills Palestinian in Gaza border clashes: medics-AFP-OCT 20,15-YAHOONEWS
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Israeli fire killed a Palestinian during clashes on the Gaza Strip border Tuesday, Gaza medics said, in the latest unrest to erupt in the coastal enclave.Ahmed al-Serhi, 27, was killed along the strip's eastern border with Israel, while five others were wounded.Violent protests in annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank that began around the start of the month have also spread to Gaza, hit by three wars with Israel since 2008.
Clash of narratives drives events in Holy Land-Associated Press By DAN PERRY-October 19, 2015 9:48 AM-YAHOONEWS
CAIRO (AP) — The clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land are not just physical; the two sides cannot agree on what they see, how they got here, who is to blame or where they should go.To many Israelis, the wave of knifings betrays a hatred of Jews by a Palestinian populace that is easily incited to violence by fanatics dreaming up conspiracy theories about Zionist plots to take over their sacred Jerusalem mosque.To Palestinians, the violent rage of lone-wolf attackers is an inevitable consequence, a last resort, and just deserts given almost a half-century of Israeli occupation in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, after peace talks collapsed last year and Israelis then re-elected a prime minister who seems wedded to the status quo.Where Israelis see attackers killed in self-defense against what headlines call the "wave of terrorism," Palestinians tend to see martyrs sacrificing themselves to fight the unacceptable predicament of their oppressed and humiliated people.The clashing narratives share a deep-rooted sense of vulnerability.Israelis are deeply affected by the memory of the Nazi slaughter of 6 million Jews during World War II. The country that emerged from that disaster is surrounded by potential enemies. They look at the map, feel small, and grow peeved at the fuss made about their relatively modest conquest of a few thousand square kilometers, one of many in history.The Palestinians call Israel's 1948 "War of Independence" the "naqba," meaning catastrophe. Some 600,000 of their number left what became the Jewish state, with some expelled and others fleeing. The refugees' descendants now number in the millions. They are a people who have often felt unwelcome by fellow Arabs, in some cases confined to shantytown "camps," as in Syria, and denied basic rights, as in Lebanon.Palestinians tend to ignore that the Arab side rejected the 1947 United Nations partition plan for mandatory Palestine — which the Jews accepted.Of the Palestinians who did not leave the Holy Land, there are currently four distinct groups, each with their own miseries and grievances:— About 1.7 million "Arab Israeli" citizens in Israel proper can vote and in theory have equal rights. But they are poorer, disadvantaged and angered by reminders of second-class status like a national anthem that romanticizes Jewish yearning for Zion. Many have assimilated and seem to appreciate the advantages of prosperous and modern Israel, yet some have participated in the recent attacks. One of them, a 21-year-old Bedouin, killed an Israeli soldier in the southern town of Beersheba late Sunday, and was shot dead; an Eritrean migrant was also killed in the attack after an Israeli security guard fired at him, apparently thinking he was an assailant, and then he was attacked by a mob.— Some 300,000 Palestinians live in east Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967, along with the West Bank and Gaza, but unlike those areas was annexed. They have the right to become citizens, but few have chosen this, fearing it would legitimize Israel's claim to the city. Instead, most live as "residents" with the right to work and travel freely, but who can under various circumstances find themselves losing their right to remain.Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem suffer from a lack of services and schools, along with poor infrastructure, though residents are free to wander from these ramshackle areas to jobs in Jewish west Jerusalem, which Israel is constantly trying to develop and improve. Israel's separation barrier has cut many of them off from their hinterland in the West Bank, while those behind the barrier are disconnected from the heart of the city. Palestinians from east Jerusalem have been the driving force of the knife attacks, and as a result, their status has grown even more precarious, with Israel putting up roadblocks that constrict travel in and out of their neighborhoods.— More than 2 million Palestinians live in the surrounding West Bank, which from 1948 to 1967 was held by Jordan, like east Jerusalem. They live mostly in a maze of autonomous zones surrounded and dominated by the Israeli army. With little control over their travel, they observe helplessly the constant expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied land between their disconnected areas. The settlers have disproportionate water rights and live under a separate legal system; they enjoy favored funding and can vote as part of Israel's democracy, while the Palestinians endure strict security measures — without which the settlers might indeed come under constant attack.Israel cannot decide what to do about this extraordinary situation. Despite occupying and settling the West Bank with Jews for almost 50 years, it has not annexed it for fear of having to officially absorb the millions of Palestinians into its democratic system. While these Palestinians are not at the center of the current wave, in some cases they have protested and attacked soldiers and settlers. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while being careful not to condemn the stabbings for fear of appearing too close to Israel, has nonetheless instructed his security forces behind the scenes to try to calm the situation.— Another 2 million Palestinians live in Gaza, an enclave that between 1948 and 1967 was held by Egypt. The area is squeezed between Israel and Egypt and ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas as a theocratic police state where women are subjugated, dissent is punished, and alcohol is banned. They are cut off from Israel but feel occupied nonetheless because they are fenced in — even by Egypt to the south — and Israel controls the skies and seas. Several have been killed and injured lately in protests at the border.Sporadic peace talks over the past two decades have failed to progress beyond the autonomy arrangements of the 1990s. The tangle is too tight and the sides cannot agree on the terms of divorce — or even on what happened in the talks.Israelis feel that past leaders who in vain offered the Palestinians a state in Gaza and almost all the West Bank with a foothold in Jerusalem — in 2001 and 2008 — were acting in good faith and exposed Palestinian intransigence. The Palestinians say they have already compromised by giving up their longstanding claim to land that now makes up Israel, and they are in no mood for accepting less than all the land occupied in 1967. They also have a host of explanations for what many around the world see as missed opportunities that may not come again. Some say Israeli offers were not as serious as leaders have claimed, as proved by continued settlement-building.The world community mostly considers Israel to be in violation of accepted norms by changing the status quo in occupied territories through these settlements, and the disproportionate death toll among Palestinians in bouts of violence also draws fire. But despite the global hectoring, Israel has not been truly punished: it has a mighty alliance with the U.S., favored trading status with Europe, growing relations with Asia and a per capita gross domestic product to rival Britain's.In this situation, many Israelis prefer to ignore the Palestinians, most of whom are beyond fences in areas Israelis rarely visit.Many believe the Arab world is not ready for democracy — the failures of the Arab Spring hardly negate such a thesis — and the Palestinians should be happy with their lot compared with the brutal dictatorships and murderous chaos that have typified other corners of the Middle East, past and present. Israelis also feel that the Palestinians are being incited — whether by Gaza preachers shouting at the masses to "stab, stab, stab," or by politicians claiming, with meager basis if any, that the desires of Israeli fanatics to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem or alter the status quo there are secretly the official Israeli policy as well. Palestinians tend to dismiss these things as secondary to a justifiable anger that is consuming their hopeless youth, who undeniably have also gotten worked up through inflammatory videos making their way around Facebook.On both sides there is a minority that watches the violence in despair — arguably more so in Israel, with its more individualistic society and culture of debate and introspection. To these more liberal Israelis, the apparently perpetual occupation of the Palestinians is a moral stain that also, by tying Israel inexorably to a Palestinian population equal to its 6 million Jews, contains the seeds of self-inflicted ruination.___Dan Perry is AP's Middle East editor leading text coverage in the region. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/perry_dan
Razing of illegal building reportedly stymied by East Jerusalem violence-Prime Minister’s Office tells municipality to delay demolition of Beit Hanina structure in face of escalating tensions-By Stuart Winer October 20, 2015, 12:10 pm-the times of israel
The Prime Minister’s Office has reportedly ordered that Jerusalem halt the planned demolition of a large East Jerusalem building out of fears the move could spark further violence.Security forces had been called in to protect workers as they razed the unauthorized structure in the capital’s Beit Hanina neighborhood Sunday, but the plan was called off at the last minute by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, Army Radio reported TuesdayAccording to the municipality, the building was constructed without proper permits and constitutes an eyesore.Jerusalem city officials regularly demolish illegal housing in East Jerusalem, but critics say the city is slow to issue permits for building in Arab neighborhoods, making unofficial construction widespread.The city has also been accused of disproportionately enforcing demolition of illegal buildings in Arab areas of the city.The Beit Hanina building has been under threat of demolition for 10 years as the matter was fought in the courts, but municipal officials had recently obtained all the permits required to bring it down.Jerusalem has suffered an upsurge in Palestinian attacks over the pasts several weeks, leading officials to block off some East Jerusalem neighborhoods that were home to a number of the attackers.In the neighborhood of Issawiyya, residents called a general strike to protest the recent violent clashes with security forces in the area and what they claim are Israeli attempts to change the delicate status quo on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has repeatedly denied that it has any plans to alter arrangements on the site, where Jews can visit but not pray.Since the beginning of September near daily rioting in East Jerusalem has come alongside a spate of Palestinian terror attacks across the country and in the West Bank that have killed and injured dozens of Israelis.MK Moti Yogev of the Jewish Home party lamented the stay in demolition which, he said, would encourage further violence against Israeli authority in East Jerusalem.“ Where there is no enforcement of the small things such as construction, trade, parking, and transportation, then nationalistic … crimes follow too,” he said.Despite an apparent stall on demolishing illegal construction in East Jerusalem the government continues to push a more aggressive program to destroy the homes of terrorists who have carried out attacks on Israelis.Overnight Tuesday the IDF demolished the Hebron home of a Palestinian terrorist who ran over and stabbed to death an Israeli civilian during a wave of violence nearly a year ago.Clashes between troops and Palestinians broke out after the home demolition.Israeli ministers recently voted to expedite home demolitions of terrorists as a punitive and deterrent measure, amid an ongoing wave of violence.
Palestinian killed in Gaza clash; IDF targets sniper cell in Strip-Gaza officials say protester shot with live fire; army warns it will not tolerate attacks on forces patrolling the border-By Tamar Pileggi October 20, 2015, 10:02 pm-the times of israel
A Palestinian man was killed and several others were injured when protesters clashed with IDF troops near the Israel-Gaza border Tuesday evening, Palestinian officials said.In the southern Strip, Israeli security forces on Tuesday targeted a Palestinian cell the army said was responsible for sniper attacks on troops patrolling the border fence in recent weeks.Officials from Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said that 27-year-old Ahmed Sharif al-Sarhi sustained a fatal gunshot wound when IDF soldiers used live ammunition on a group of dozens of protesters gathered at the fence, east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in the center of the Palestinian enclave.Several dozen protesters also clashed with Israeli forces at the Erez border crossing in northern Gaza. Palestinian media reported three people were injured in al-Bureij and a fourth was hurt at Erez.Protesters rolled burning tires and threw rocks and firebombs at Israeli troops, and said soldiers used tear gas and fired in the direction of the rioters in order to disperse them, the Hebrew-language daily Haaretz reported.In southern Gaza, a joint Border Police, IDF and Shin Bet operation targeted the sniper cell believed to be behind attacks on soldiers near the border.The army said in a statement that it had determined that members of the cell were preparing an assault on Israeli troops, and launched a preemptive attack from across the fence.“The IDF will not tolerate attempts to harm Israeli citizens and soldiers and will continue to operate against every attempted terror attack on the State of Israel,” the statement read.Earlier Tuesday, the IDF instructed Israeli farmers who work up within one kilometer of the fence to stay away from the 50- kilometer (30 mile) border, warning of gunfire from Palestinian snipers, the Walla website reported. Palestinians from Gaza have broken through the border fence with Israel several times in the last two weeks, as well as staged protests in solidarity with West Bank Palestinians who have repeatedly clashed with Israeli troops.At least 12 Palestinians were reported to have been killed in the recent clashes between Gazan demonstrators and IDF soldiers.During a visit to the IDF’s Gaza Division Headquarters in the Western Negev earlier that day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a security briefing that said the Gaza border was “under control.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Sweden chant ‘slaughter the Jews’-Israeli envoy insists that ‘incitement’ at Malmo demonstration ‘must be dealt with by the full force of the law’-By JTA October 20, 2015, 9:58 pm 3
Hundreds of protesters in the Swedish city of Malmo were filmed Monday chanting in Arabic about slaughtering Jews and stabbing soldiers.Pro-Palestinian groups organized a rally in the city center against what they called Israeli violence and to show solidarity with Palestinians amid deadly measures taken by Israeli authorities to stop the recent spate of attacks on Jews in Israel and the West Bank.Isaac Bachman, Israel’s ambassador to Sweden, posted on his Facebook account a video taken at the rally showing hundreds chanting “’slaughter the Jews, stab soldiers.” In other slogans, the chanters encouraged “heroes to carry out attack after attack” and to “start a third intifada.”“These are extremely troubling instances of a grotesque but nevertheless very real – and murderous – incitement which must be dealt with by the full force of the law,” Bachman wrote.His wife, Osnat, wrote about the video: “Swedish people: Is this what you believe in? Is this what you bargained for? Are these your morals? Since I know the answers I feel ashamed in your name.”Malmo has a few hundred Jewish residents who, in recent years, have come under attack from some members of the southern city’s Muslim community, which constitutes one third of the city’s population.According to Swedish tabloid Expressen, over the past two years, some 137 anti-Semitic incidents have been recorded in the Malmo region, a figure higher than anywhere else in Sweden.Separately, the Scandinavian airline SAS announced on Wednesday that it would stop flights from Copenhagen to Tel Aviv at the end of March, along with Ankara and Russia, citing profitability issues.SAS spokeswoman Trine Kromann denied claims made in the Israeli media that the line was profitable — the Israel Hayom daily reported Tuesday that the line had seen a 41 percent increase in traffic in 2014 over 2013 — and denied that the decision to stop the flights to Israel was in fact politically motivated.Kromann said SAS did not share or discuss traffic statistics, “which in any case are only a part of the commercial calculation for determining profitability.”She added: “We also look at, for example, the price we can get per ticket and operating costs.”The line to Tel Aviv is a particularly costly one for SAS, Kromann also said.
IDF soldier lightly hurt in Hebron stabbing; teen assailants killed-Attackers shot dead by victim’s comrade; Border Policeman suffers minor injuries as firebombs hurled at IDF post near Bethlehem-By Judah Ari Gross and Adiv Sterman October 20, 2015, 11:04 pm 1-the times of israel
An IDF soldier was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack Tuesday night in the West Bank city of Hebron. His two Palestinian attackers were shot dead by a fellow soldier who was with him at the time of the attack.The Walla website named the two attackers as 15-year-old Bashar al-Nidal Jabari and 17-year-old Hussam Ismail Jabari.An IDF spokesperson confirmed that a soldier had sustained light injuries from a stab wound to the head while on guard duty near a Jewish-owned apartment complex in the heart of the city.Following the attack, dozens of burning tires were hurled at the southern entrance of Kiryat Arba, a Jewish settlement outside Hebron.The attack comes after another day of violent attacks on Israelis in the West Bank. An Israeli from Kiryat Arba was hit by a truck and killed Tuesday afternoon as he inspected damage to his own vehicle from Palestinian rock throwers, and a short time later, a soldier and a civilian were lightly hurt when a car rammed into them close to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Jerusalem.Earlier on Tuesday, Molotov cocktails and a pipe bomb were hurled at an IDF position in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, as close to 400 Palestinians clashed with Israeli army forces near the site of Rachel’s Tomb.A Border Police officer was lightly injured at the site after Palestinians hurled a Molotov cocktail at him, the Walla news site reported.In the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiyah, a Palestinian was shot in the leg after advancing toward a Border Police post while holding a Molotov cocktail, the Ynet news site reported. The Palestinian was rushed away from the scene by a medical team, though his condition was not immediately clear.At least nine Palestinians protesters were reported injured in clashes across the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency.Also Tuesday, the IDF said that Israeli security forces identified terrorists in Gaza preparing to snipe at Israeli forces carrying out defensive activities near the southern part of Strip. The IDF said the soldiers fired at the snipers and hits were confirmed.There were no immediate reports of casualties on the Palestinian side.Last week Israeli forces conducting repair work on the border came under fire from Gaza snipers, and earlier this month an IDF vehicle was fired upon by snipers as well.Tuesday saw a series of terrorist attacks in the West Bank after a day of rare respite from several weeks of almost daily shooting and stabbing attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.Two Israelis, a civilian and a soldier, were lightly wounded Tuesday in an apparent car-ramming terror attack at a bus stop in the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. The Palestinian driver who hit the two men was shot and killed by security forces. His vehicle carried an Israeli license plate, and a knife was found in his possession, the Ynet news site reported.Earlier, an Israeli civilian was killed near the West Bank city of Hebron after he was hit by a truck as he inspected the damage to his own car from rocks thrown by Palestinians. MDA paramedics attempted to resuscitate the man, named as 54-year-old Kiryat Arba resident Avraham Hasano, but he died at the scene. It was not clear if the second vehicle was deliberately driven into him.The driver who hit Hasano turned himself in to the Palestinian security forces in the area shortly afterward. He said he had hit the man by accident and fled the scene out of fear, Army Radio reported.Channel 1 reported that Palestinian rioters attacked Israeli forces and medics as they tried to attend to the victim.Earlier in the day, an IDF army officer sustained light injuries after being stabbed by a Palestinian man in the southern West Bank.The stabber was shot and killed during the attack, amid what the army said a “violent riot” in the village of Beit Awwa in the Hebron Hills region.MDA paramedics treated the injured soldier at the scene for a hand wound. The officer, a company commander in the Givati infantry brigade, was expected to be taken to the hospital for further medical treatment.The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry identified the stabber as Adi Hashem al Masalmeh, 24, from Beit Awwa.According to a report by Channel 10 Tuesday, if the current wave of violence did not die down by the end of the year, the army would consider calling up reservist soldiers in order to assist in calming tensions. However, the news site did not quote a source for its report. The current outbreak of violence was fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and take over the Temple Mount, the holiest site to Jews and the third holiest one to Muslims.Israel has adamantly denied the allegations, saying there are no plans to change the status quo between Muslim worshipers and Jewish visitors to the site, and has accused the Palestinians of incitement. Jews can currently visit the religious holy site but are not allowed to pray there.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
UN chief warns of religious war as PM says Abbas ‘fanning the flames’-On snap visit to Jerusalem, Ban Ki-moon cautions against misuse of force and slams ‘heinous attacks’ on Israelis-By AFP, Raphael Ahren and AP October 20, 2015, 10:12 pm 1-the times of israel
In Jerusalem on a snap visit to the region after weeks of Israeli-Palestinian violence, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday warned of an escalation “into a religious conflict with potential regional implications” and urged both sides to make efforts to ensure this did not transpire.Speaking as he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Ban also told reporters that “security measures can be counterproductive if they are applied without special efforts to defuse the situation before people lose their lives.”Any misuse of force, he said, “may breed the very frustrations and anxieties from which violence” can erupt.Israeli security forces have faced accusations of excessive force against Palestinians in the current wave of violence, that has seen 10 Israelis killed and dozens wounded in attacks since mid-September. More than 40 Palestinians have died either carrying out attacks or during violent clashes with Israeli security forces. Videos of Israeli security forces shooting Palestinians during attacks that have been spread online have helped feed anger, with Palestinians viewing some of the incidents as unjustified.Netanyahu strongly rejected such accusations.“Israel is acting as any democracy would to defend its citizens,” he said. “We are not — I repeat — we are not using excessive force.“I believe it is time to tell the truth about the causes of Palestinian terrorism. It is not the settlements, it is not the peace process, it is the desire to destroy the State of Israel pure and simple.”Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is “fanning the flames” of the violence, Netanyahu said, and again accused him of incitement.“President Abbas has not condemned a single one of the 30 terrorist attacks against Israelis over the last month and he continues to glorify the terrorists as heroes,” the prime minister said.Netanyahu also rejected claims that Israel is planning to change the arrangements on the Temple Mount, a site holy to Jews and Muslims where Jews can visit but not pray. “In recent weeks Israelis have been deliberately run over, shot, stabbed and hacked to death, and in large part this is because President Abbas has joined ISIS and Hamas in claiming that Israel threatens the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said. “This, Mr. Secretary, is a total lie. Israel vigorously protects the holy sites of all faiths. We keep the status quo.“The Palestinians, by contrast, are the ones who violate the status quo. Palestinians have brought explosives into Al-Aqsa Mosque. That’s a violation of the status quo. They try violently to prevent Jews and Christians from visiting the Mount. That’s another violation of the status quo.”Ban also acknowledged the security challenges facing Israel in the face of a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car attacks, while condemning militant groups who have expressed support for them.“Over the past weeks I have been deeply troubled by statements from Palestinian militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad praising such heinous attacks,” he said.“In a recent call with President Abbas I voiced my deep concern over instances of inflammatory rhetoric… I have also condemned the arson attack last week, and I welcome Abbas’ condemnation of that,” Ban added.“I want to first of all express my sympathy for the loss of life and injury of victims. Allow me to express my deepest condolences to you and the people Israel for the killing of your citizens. I deplore the random attacks against the civilians,” he said. “I understand the pain and anger felt by many Israel in the current environment.”UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Tuesday that Ban wants to determine if Israeli and Palestinian leaders are willing to return to negotiations on a two-state solution.He told reporters this is what the UN chief and other members of the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators — including the US, EU and Russia — have been encouraging.Haq said Ban’s ideas on the way forward were laid out in his video message to the Israeli and Palestinian people: “stand firm against terror, violence and incitement,” preserve the status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites, and demand progress for a political solution.He said the recent violence, and fears of walking the streets, “should once again tell people that this is the time to go back and pursue peace.”
Israeli fire kills Palestinian in Gaza border clashes: medics-AFP-OCT 20,15-YAHOONEWS
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Israeli fire killed a Palestinian during clashes on the Gaza Strip border Tuesday, Gaza medics said, in the latest unrest to erupt in the coastal enclave.Ahmed al-Serhi, 27, was killed along the strip's eastern border with Israel, while five others were wounded.Violent protests in annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank that began around the start of the month have also spread to Gaza, hit by three wars with Israel since 2008.
Clash of narratives drives events in Holy Land-Associated Press By DAN PERRY-October 19, 2015 9:48 AM-YAHOONEWS
CAIRO (AP) — The clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land are not just physical; the two sides cannot agree on what they see, how they got here, who is to blame or where they should go.To many Israelis, the wave of knifings betrays a hatred of Jews by a Palestinian populace that is easily incited to violence by fanatics dreaming up conspiracy theories about Zionist plots to take over their sacred Jerusalem mosque.To Palestinians, the violent rage of lone-wolf attackers is an inevitable consequence, a last resort, and just deserts given almost a half-century of Israeli occupation in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, after peace talks collapsed last year and Israelis then re-elected a prime minister who seems wedded to the status quo.Where Israelis see attackers killed in self-defense against what headlines call the "wave of terrorism," Palestinians tend to see martyrs sacrificing themselves to fight the unacceptable predicament of their oppressed and humiliated people.The clashing narratives share a deep-rooted sense of vulnerability.Israelis are deeply affected by the memory of the Nazi slaughter of 6 million Jews during World War II. The country that emerged from that disaster is surrounded by potential enemies. They look at the map, feel small, and grow peeved at the fuss made about their relatively modest conquest of a few thousand square kilometers, one of many in history.The Palestinians call Israel's 1948 "War of Independence" the "naqba," meaning catastrophe. Some 600,000 of their number left what became the Jewish state, with some expelled and others fleeing. The refugees' descendants now number in the millions. They are a people who have often felt unwelcome by fellow Arabs, in some cases confined to shantytown "camps," as in Syria, and denied basic rights, as in Lebanon.Palestinians tend to ignore that the Arab side rejected the 1947 United Nations partition plan for mandatory Palestine — which the Jews accepted.Of the Palestinians who did not leave the Holy Land, there are currently four distinct groups, each with their own miseries and grievances:— About 1.7 million "Arab Israeli" citizens in Israel proper can vote and in theory have equal rights. But they are poorer, disadvantaged and angered by reminders of second-class status like a national anthem that romanticizes Jewish yearning for Zion. Many have assimilated and seem to appreciate the advantages of prosperous and modern Israel, yet some have participated in the recent attacks. One of them, a 21-year-old Bedouin, killed an Israeli soldier in the southern town of Beersheba late Sunday, and was shot dead; an Eritrean migrant was also killed in the attack after an Israeli security guard fired at him, apparently thinking he was an assailant, and then he was attacked by a mob.— Some 300,000 Palestinians live in east Jerusalem, which was occupied by Israel in 1967, along with the West Bank and Gaza, but unlike those areas was annexed. They have the right to become citizens, but few have chosen this, fearing it would legitimize Israel's claim to the city. Instead, most live as "residents" with the right to work and travel freely, but who can under various circumstances find themselves losing their right to remain.Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem suffer from a lack of services and schools, along with poor infrastructure, though residents are free to wander from these ramshackle areas to jobs in Jewish west Jerusalem, which Israel is constantly trying to develop and improve. Israel's separation barrier has cut many of them off from their hinterland in the West Bank, while those behind the barrier are disconnected from the heart of the city. Palestinians from east Jerusalem have been the driving force of the knife attacks, and as a result, their status has grown even more precarious, with Israel putting up roadblocks that constrict travel in and out of their neighborhoods.— More than 2 million Palestinians live in the surrounding West Bank, which from 1948 to 1967 was held by Jordan, like east Jerusalem. They live mostly in a maze of autonomous zones surrounded and dominated by the Israeli army. With little control over their travel, they observe helplessly the constant expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied land between their disconnected areas. The settlers have disproportionate water rights and live under a separate legal system; they enjoy favored funding and can vote as part of Israel's democracy, while the Palestinians endure strict security measures — without which the settlers might indeed come under constant attack.Israel cannot decide what to do about this extraordinary situation. Despite occupying and settling the West Bank with Jews for almost 50 years, it has not annexed it for fear of having to officially absorb the millions of Palestinians into its democratic system. While these Palestinians are not at the center of the current wave, in some cases they have protested and attacked soldiers and settlers. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while being careful not to condemn the stabbings for fear of appearing too close to Israel, has nonetheless instructed his security forces behind the scenes to try to calm the situation.— Another 2 million Palestinians live in Gaza, an enclave that between 1948 and 1967 was held by Egypt. The area is squeezed between Israel and Egypt and ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas as a theocratic police state where women are subjugated, dissent is punished, and alcohol is banned. They are cut off from Israel but feel occupied nonetheless because they are fenced in — even by Egypt to the south — and Israel controls the skies and seas. Several have been killed and injured lately in protests at the border.Sporadic peace talks over the past two decades have failed to progress beyond the autonomy arrangements of the 1990s. The tangle is too tight and the sides cannot agree on the terms of divorce — or even on what happened in the talks.Israelis feel that past leaders who in vain offered the Palestinians a state in Gaza and almost all the West Bank with a foothold in Jerusalem — in 2001 and 2008 — were acting in good faith and exposed Palestinian intransigence. The Palestinians say they have already compromised by giving up their longstanding claim to land that now makes up Israel, and they are in no mood for accepting less than all the land occupied in 1967. They also have a host of explanations for what many around the world see as missed opportunities that may not come again. Some say Israeli offers were not as serious as leaders have claimed, as proved by continued settlement-building.The world community mostly considers Israel to be in violation of accepted norms by changing the status quo in occupied territories through these settlements, and the disproportionate death toll among Palestinians in bouts of violence also draws fire. But despite the global hectoring, Israel has not been truly punished: it has a mighty alliance with the U.S., favored trading status with Europe, growing relations with Asia and a per capita gross domestic product to rival Britain's.In this situation, many Israelis prefer to ignore the Palestinians, most of whom are beyond fences in areas Israelis rarely visit.Many believe the Arab world is not ready for democracy — the failures of the Arab Spring hardly negate such a thesis — and the Palestinians should be happy with their lot compared with the brutal dictatorships and murderous chaos that have typified other corners of the Middle East, past and present. Israelis also feel that the Palestinians are being incited — whether by Gaza preachers shouting at the masses to "stab, stab, stab," or by politicians claiming, with meager basis if any, that the desires of Israeli fanatics to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem or alter the status quo there are secretly the official Israeli policy as well. Palestinians tend to dismiss these things as secondary to a justifiable anger that is consuming their hopeless youth, who undeniably have also gotten worked up through inflammatory videos making their way around Facebook.On both sides there is a minority that watches the violence in despair — arguably more so in Israel, with its more individualistic society and culture of debate and introspection. To these more liberal Israelis, the apparently perpetual occupation of the Palestinians is a moral stain that also, by tying Israel inexorably to a Palestinian population equal to its 6 million Jews, contains the seeds of self-inflicted ruination.___Dan Perry is AP's Middle East editor leading text coverage in the region. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/perry_dan
Razing of illegal building reportedly stymied by East Jerusalem violence-Prime Minister’s Office tells municipality to delay demolition of Beit Hanina structure in face of escalating tensions-By Stuart Winer October 20, 2015, 12:10 pm-the times of israel
The Prime Minister’s Office has reportedly ordered that Jerusalem halt the planned demolition of a large East Jerusalem building out of fears the move could spark further violence.Security forces had been called in to protect workers as they razed the unauthorized structure in the capital’s Beit Hanina neighborhood Sunday, but the plan was called off at the last minute by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, Army Radio reported TuesdayAccording to the municipality, the building was constructed without proper permits and constitutes an eyesore.Jerusalem city officials regularly demolish illegal housing in East Jerusalem, but critics say the city is slow to issue permits for building in Arab neighborhoods, making unofficial construction widespread.The city has also been accused of disproportionately enforcing demolition of illegal buildings in Arab areas of the city.The Beit Hanina building has been under threat of demolition for 10 years as the matter was fought in the courts, but municipal officials had recently obtained all the permits required to bring it down.Jerusalem has suffered an upsurge in Palestinian attacks over the pasts several weeks, leading officials to block off some East Jerusalem neighborhoods that were home to a number of the attackers.In the neighborhood of Issawiyya, residents called a general strike to protest the recent violent clashes with security forces in the area and what they claim are Israeli attempts to change the delicate status quo on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Israel has repeatedly denied that it has any plans to alter arrangements on the site, where Jews can visit but not pray.Since the beginning of September near daily rioting in East Jerusalem has come alongside a spate of Palestinian terror attacks across the country and in the West Bank that have killed and injured dozens of Israelis.MK Moti Yogev of the Jewish Home party lamented the stay in demolition which, he said, would encourage further violence against Israeli authority in East Jerusalem.“ Where there is no enforcement of the small things such as construction, trade, parking, and transportation, then nationalistic … crimes follow too,” he said.Despite an apparent stall on demolishing illegal construction in East Jerusalem the government continues to push a more aggressive program to destroy the homes of terrorists who have carried out attacks on Israelis.Overnight Tuesday the IDF demolished the Hebron home of a Palestinian terrorist who ran over and stabbed to death an Israeli civilian during a wave of violence nearly a year ago.Clashes between troops and Palestinians broke out after the home demolition.Israeli ministers recently voted to expedite home demolitions of terrorists as a punitive and deterrent measure, amid an ongoing wave of violence.
Palestinian killed in Gaza clash; IDF targets sniper cell in Strip-Gaza officials say protester shot with live fire; army warns it will not tolerate attacks on forces patrolling the border-By Tamar Pileggi October 20, 2015, 10:02 pm-the times of israel
A Palestinian man was killed and several others were injured when protesters clashed with IDF troops near the Israel-Gaza border Tuesday evening, Palestinian officials said.In the southern Strip, Israeli security forces on Tuesday targeted a Palestinian cell the army said was responsible for sniper attacks on troops patrolling the border fence in recent weeks.Officials from Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said that 27-year-old Ahmed Sharif al-Sarhi sustained a fatal gunshot wound when IDF soldiers used live ammunition on a group of dozens of protesters gathered at the fence, east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in the center of the Palestinian enclave.Several dozen protesters also clashed with Israeli forces at the Erez border crossing in northern Gaza. Palestinian media reported three people were injured in al-Bureij and a fourth was hurt at Erez.Protesters rolled burning tires and threw rocks and firebombs at Israeli troops, and said soldiers used tear gas and fired in the direction of the rioters in order to disperse them, the Hebrew-language daily Haaretz reported.In southern Gaza, a joint Border Police, IDF and Shin Bet operation targeted the sniper cell believed to be behind attacks on soldiers near the border.The army said in a statement that it had determined that members of the cell were preparing an assault on Israeli troops, and launched a preemptive attack from across the fence.“The IDF will not tolerate attempts to harm Israeli citizens and soldiers and will continue to operate against every attempted terror attack on the State of Israel,” the statement read.Earlier Tuesday, the IDF instructed Israeli farmers who work up within one kilometer of the fence to stay away from the 50- kilometer (30 mile) border, warning of gunfire from Palestinian snipers, the Walla website reported. Palestinians from Gaza have broken through the border fence with Israel several times in the last two weeks, as well as staged protests in solidarity with West Bank Palestinians who have repeatedly clashed with Israeli troops.At least 12 Palestinians were reported to have been killed in the recent clashes between Gazan demonstrators and IDF soldiers.During a visit to the IDF’s Gaza Division Headquarters in the Western Negev earlier that day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received a security briefing that said the Gaza border was “under control.”
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Sweden chant ‘slaughter the Jews’-Israeli envoy insists that ‘incitement’ at Malmo demonstration ‘must be dealt with by the full force of the law’-By JTA October 20, 2015, 9:58 pm 3
Hundreds of protesters in the Swedish city of Malmo were filmed Monday chanting in Arabic about slaughtering Jews and stabbing soldiers.Pro-Palestinian groups organized a rally in the city center against what they called Israeli violence and to show solidarity with Palestinians amid deadly measures taken by Israeli authorities to stop the recent spate of attacks on Jews in Israel and the West Bank.Isaac Bachman, Israel’s ambassador to Sweden, posted on his Facebook account a video taken at the rally showing hundreds chanting “’slaughter the Jews, stab soldiers.” In other slogans, the chanters encouraged “heroes to carry out attack after attack” and to “start a third intifada.”“These are extremely troubling instances of a grotesque but nevertheless very real – and murderous – incitement which must be dealt with by the full force of the law,” Bachman wrote.His wife, Osnat, wrote about the video: “Swedish people: Is this what you believe in? Is this what you bargained for? Are these your morals? Since I know the answers I feel ashamed in your name.”Malmo has a few hundred Jewish residents who, in recent years, have come under attack from some members of the southern city’s Muslim community, which constitutes one third of the city’s population.According to Swedish tabloid Expressen, over the past two years, some 137 anti-Semitic incidents have been recorded in the Malmo region, a figure higher than anywhere else in Sweden.Separately, the Scandinavian airline SAS announced on Wednesday that it would stop flights from Copenhagen to Tel Aviv at the end of March, along with Ankara and Russia, citing profitability issues.SAS spokeswoman Trine Kromann denied claims made in the Israeli media that the line was profitable — the Israel Hayom daily reported Tuesday that the line had seen a 41 percent increase in traffic in 2014 over 2013 — and denied that the decision to stop the flights to Israel was in fact politically motivated.Kromann said SAS did not share or discuss traffic statistics, “which in any case are only a part of the commercial calculation for determining profitability.”She added: “We also look at, for example, the price we can get per ticket and operating costs.”The line to Tel Aviv is a particularly costly one for SAS, Kromann also said.
IDF soldier lightly hurt in Hebron stabbing; teen assailants killed-Attackers shot dead by victim’s comrade; Border Policeman suffers minor injuries as firebombs hurled at IDF post near Bethlehem-By Judah Ari Gross and Adiv Sterman October 20, 2015, 11:04 pm 1-the times of israel
An IDF soldier was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack Tuesday night in the West Bank city of Hebron. His two Palestinian attackers were shot dead by a fellow soldier who was with him at the time of the attack.The Walla website named the two attackers as 15-year-old Bashar al-Nidal Jabari and 17-year-old Hussam Ismail Jabari.An IDF spokesperson confirmed that a soldier had sustained light injuries from a stab wound to the head while on guard duty near a Jewish-owned apartment complex in the heart of the city.Following the attack, dozens of burning tires were hurled at the southern entrance of Kiryat Arba, a Jewish settlement outside Hebron.The attack comes after another day of violent attacks on Israelis in the West Bank. An Israeli from Kiryat Arba was hit by a truck and killed Tuesday afternoon as he inspected damage to his own vehicle from Palestinian rock throwers, and a short time later, a soldier and a civilian were lightly hurt when a car rammed into them close to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc south of Jerusalem.Earlier on Tuesday, Molotov cocktails and a pipe bomb were hurled at an IDF position in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, as close to 400 Palestinians clashed with Israeli army forces near the site of Rachel’s Tomb.A Border Police officer was lightly injured at the site after Palestinians hurled a Molotov cocktail at him, the Walla news site reported.In the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Isawiyah, a Palestinian was shot in the leg after advancing toward a Border Police post while holding a Molotov cocktail, the Ynet news site reported. The Palestinian was rushed away from the scene by a medical team, though his condition was not immediately clear.At least nine Palestinians protesters were reported injured in clashes across the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency.Also Tuesday, the IDF said that Israeli security forces identified terrorists in Gaza preparing to snipe at Israeli forces carrying out defensive activities near the southern part of Strip. The IDF said the soldiers fired at the snipers and hits were confirmed.There were no immediate reports of casualties on the Palestinian side.Last week Israeli forces conducting repair work on the border came under fire from Gaza snipers, and earlier this month an IDF vehicle was fired upon by snipers as well.Tuesday saw a series of terrorist attacks in the West Bank after a day of rare respite from several weeks of almost daily shooting and stabbing attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.Two Israelis, a civilian and a soldier, were lightly wounded Tuesday in an apparent car-ramming terror attack at a bus stop in the Gush Etzion region of the West Bank, south of Jerusalem. The Palestinian driver who hit the two men was shot and killed by security forces. His vehicle carried an Israeli license plate, and a knife was found in his possession, the Ynet news site reported.Earlier, an Israeli civilian was killed near the West Bank city of Hebron after he was hit by a truck as he inspected the damage to his own car from rocks thrown by Palestinians. MDA paramedics attempted to resuscitate the man, named as 54-year-old Kiryat Arba resident Avraham Hasano, but he died at the scene. It was not clear if the second vehicle was deliberately driven into him.The driver who hit Hasano turned himself in to the Palestinian security forces in the area shortly afterward. He said he had hit the man by accident and fled the scene out of fear, Army Radio reported.Channel 1 reported that Palestinian rioters attacked Israeli forces and medics as they tried to attend to the victim.Earlier in the day, an IDF army officer sustained light injuries after being stabbed by a Palestinian man in the southern West Bank.The stabber was shot and killed during the attack, amid what the army said a “violent riot” in the village of Beit Awwa in the Hebron Hills region.MDA paramedics treated the injured soldier at the scene for a hand wound. The officer, a company commander in the Givati infantry brigade, was expected to be taken to the hospital for further medical treatment.The Palestinian Authority Health Ministry identified the stabber as Adi Hashem al Masalmeh, 24, from Beit Awwa.According to a report by Channel 10 Tuesday, if the current wave of violence did not die down by the end of the year, the army would consider calling up reservist soldiers in order to assist in calming tensions. However, the news site did not quote a source for its report. The current outbreak of violence was fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and take over the Temple Mount, the holiest site to Jews and the third holiest one to Muslims.Israel has adamantly denied the allegations, saying there are no plans to change the status quo between Muslim worshipers and Jewish visitors to the site, and has accused the Palestinians of incitement. Jews can currently visit the religious holy site but are not allowed to pray there.Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
UN chief warns of religious war as PM says Abbas ‘fanning the flames’-On snap visit to Jerusalem, Ban Ki-moon cautions against misuse of force and slams ‘heinous attacks’ on Israelis-By AFP, Raphael Ahren and AP October 20, 2015, 10:12 pm 1-the times of israel
In Jerusalem on a snap visit to the region after weeks of Israeli-Palestinian violence, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday warned of an escalation “into a religious conflict with potential regional implications” and urged both sides to make efforts to ensure this did not transpire.Speaking as he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Ban also told reporters that “security measures can be counterproductive if they are applied without special efforts to defuse the situation before people lose their lives.”Any misuse of force, he said, “may breed the very frustrations and anxieties from which violence” can erupt.Israeli security forces have faced accusations of excessive force against Palestinians in the current wave of violence, that has seen 10 Israelis killed and dozens wounded in attacks since mid-September. More than 40 Palestinians have died either carrying out attacks or during violent clashes with Israeli security forces. Videos of Israeli security forces shooting Palestinians during attacks that have been spread online have helped feed anger, with Palestinians viewing some of the incidents as unjustified.Netanyahu strongly rejected such accusations.“Israel is acting as any democracy would to defend its citizens,” he said. “We are not — I repeat — we are not using excessive force.“I believe it is time to tell the truth about the causes of Palestinian terrorism. It is not the settlements, it is not the peace process, it is the desire to destroy the State of Israel pure and simple.”Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is “fanning the flames” of the violence, Netanyahu said, and again accused him of incitement.“President Abbas has not condemned a single one of the 30 terrorist attacks against Israelis over the last month and he continues to glorify the terrorists as heroes,” the prime minister said.Netanyahu also rejected claims that Israel is planning to change the arrangements on the Temple Mount, a site holy to Jews and Muslims where Jews can visit but not pray. “In recent weeks Israelis have been deliberately run over, shot, stabbed and hacked to death, and in large part this is because President Abbas has joined ISIS and Hamas in claiming that Israel threatens the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he said. “This, Mr. Secretary, is a total lie. Israel vigorously protects the holy sites of all faiths. We keep the status quo.“The Palestinians, by contrast, are the ones who violate the status quo. Palestinians have brought explosives into Al-Aqsa Mosque. That’s a violation of the status quo. They try violently to prevent Jews and Christians from visiting the Mount. That’s another violation of the status quo.”Ban also acknowledged the security challenges facing Israel in the face of a wave of Palestinian knife, gun and car attacks, while condemning militant groups who have expressed support for them.“Over the past weeks I have been deeply troubled by statements from Palestinian militant groups including Hamas and Islamic Jihad praising such heinous attacks,” he said.“In a recent call with President Abbas I voiced my deep concern over instances of inflammatory rhetoric… I have also condemned the arson attack last week, and I welcome Abbas’ condemnation of that,” Ban added.“I want to first of all express my sympathy for the loss of life and injury of victims. Allow me to express my deepest condolences to you and the people Israel for the killing of your citizens. I deplore the random attacks against the civilians,” he said. “I understand the pain and anger felt by many Israel in the current environment.”UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Tuesday that Ban wants to determine if Israeli and Palestinian leaders are willing to return to negotiations on a two-state solution.He told reporters this is what the UN chief and other members of the so-called Quartet of Mideast mediators — including the US, EU and Russia — have been encouraging.Haq said Ban’s ideas on the way forward were laid out in his video message to the Israeli and Palestinian people: “stand firm against terror, violence and incitement,” preserve the status quo at Jerusalem’s holy sites, and demand progress for a political solution.He said the recent violence, and fears of walking the streets, “should once again tell people that this is the time to go back and pursue peace.”
