Mass Shooting Terror Attack Claims Lives in Tel Aviv
(Michael Zeff/TPS) A mass shooting terror attack occurred in the center of Tel Aviv shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, [at press time] claiming the lives of at least three victims.
According to Magen David Adom (MDA), at least nine individuals have been injured in several locations surrounding Tel Aviv’s trendy Sarona Market. “MDA paramedics have been treating nine casualties altogether, five in serious condition and four with moderate to severe injuries from gunshots,” MDA Chief Eli Bin stated from the scene of the attack.
According to the Tel Aviv police, two suspects opened fire on the crowd at the market, after which one was shot and the other assailant was captured by the police without injury. The attacker who was shot is being treated at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital.
“The investigation into the attack is continuing, we are still in the middle of an ongoing event I urge everyone to listen to the police today and stay out of danger. Tomorrow please return to your daily lives, since this city is a symbol of sanity and strength of character in the face of adversity,” said Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai from Ichilov Hospital.
Eyewitnesses report that both attackers were dressed in black suits, white shirts and black ties.
Improvised Carl Gustav machine guns were retrieved from the as yet unidentified attackers. Such weapons have been commonly used by Palestinian terrorists during the recent intifada.
N.Y. Governor Cuomo Signs Executive Order Against BDS
(Ha’aretz.com) New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday signed an executive order that orders state agencies to divest themselves of companies and organizations that support the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against the State of Israel.
“In New York, we lead by example. We are also a place of action. We want to take immediate action because we want Israel to know that we are on their side,” Cuomo said during a speech, attended by Jewish leaders, at The Harvard Club. “If you boycott Israel, New York will boycott you.”
The executive order—the first such signed by a governor—will command the commissioner of the Office of General Services to compile a list over the next six months of businesses and groups engaged in “boycott, divestment or sanctions activity targeting Israel, either directly or through a parent or subsidiary.”
Once the process is completed, all executive-branch agencies and departments will be required to divest themselves of any company on the list to be made public, according to the draft first published by The New York Times. “The State of New York will not permit its own investment activity to further the BDS campaign in any way, shape or form, whether directly or indirectly,” the order states.
“New York stands in solidarity with Israel today and always. This state will not stand for the politics of discrimination in any form, and we will continue to demonstrate our unwavering support for the people of Israel in the fight for freedom, liberty and democracy,” said Cuomo. “I’m proud to sign this nation’s leading executive order, which will help protect Israel from the threat of divestment.”
Cuomo called on governors from all states to follow his lead and take immediate action to fight the BDS movement.
“This order sends the message that this state will do everything in its power to end this hateful, intolerant campaign. New York and Israel share an unbreakable bond and I pray that the Israeli and Palestinian people will find a way to live side by side and find peace, prosperity and security,” he said.
Israel Reportedly Strikes Syria for First Time Under New Defense Minister
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Israeli Air Force carried out an airstrike over the weekend against a military installation south of Homs, according to a report on Tuesday by the Syrian website Zaman Al Wasl, which identifies with the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The report said the installation is a base for the Syrian army’s air defense division and is also the location of its air-defense training school.
The Israeli planes bombed storage warehouses for Syrian surface-to-air defense missiles, destroying a considerable number and causing a great deal of damage, the report said. It also said the Israeli planes avoided targeting other air-defense systems located on the base.
The planes reportedly flew at a low altitude, likely to avoid being detected by radar, and were exposed to being hit by Syrian air-defense systems. According to the report, the Syrian defense establishment chose not to respond to the attack and did not try to shoot the Israeli jets down.
Aside from the report by Zaman Al Wasl, no other sources in Syria or Arab media outlets reported the event. The alleged airstrike would mark the first such move by Israel under newly appointed Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who on Tuesday visited the Israel Defense Forces GOC Northern Command headquarters.
Following the visit, Lieberman said, “Today I heard briefings about this area, which is always a sensitive area. I can say that our northern border is in good, secure hands.”
U.N. Funds Hamas Regime in Gaza, Likud Lawmaker Says
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) The Hamas terrorist regime in the Gaza Strip receives United Nations funding, new Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Avi Dichter (Likud) said on Tuesday at an Institute of Certified Public Accountants in Israel conference in Eilat.
Speaking of the funding sources for U.N. activities in Gaza, Dichter said, “Every year, the U.S. gives $350 million and the EU (European Union) gives $450 million. A clear majority of this money ends up in the pockets of Hamas.”
He added, “In our area, there are Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA) of Mahmoud Abbas, and the Hamas regime. Abbas has not visited Gaza in nine years. And unfortunately, PA leaders do not have the courage to take steps toward peace.”
On the Palestinian refugee issue, Dichter said, “It is no less the PA’s problem than it is ours. Half of the residents of the PA are refugees.”
Dichter took over as chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee last week, replacing fellow Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi, who was appointed a minister without a portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Israel to Supply Electricity to Gaza Sewage Treatment Plant
(JNS.org) Israel is set to increase its supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip in order to help enable the Palestinians to operate a new sewage treatment plant there and to reduce water pollution affecting Israel.
Israeli Minister of National Infrastructure, Energy and Water Yuval Steinitz recently approved the new initiative to supply Gaza with electricity, according to Yedioth Ahronoth. Large amounts of raw sewage have been flowing into the Mediterranean Sea recently that has forced one of Israel’s largest desalination plants in the southern city of Ashkelon to shut down numerous times due to high water-pollution levels.
Through the assistance of international donors such as the World Bank, a $100 million sewage treatment plant was built in Gaza. But Hamas, the Palestinian terror group that controls Gaza, has failed to allocate the necessary electricity to operate the facility and instead has let raw sewage be periodically dumped in the Mediterranean or seep into the ground, leading to pollution in underground aquifers.
Further, infighting between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority has hampered efforts to expand Gaza’s electricity supply.
American Anthropologists Narrowly Vote Down Resolution to Boycott Israel
(JNS.org) The American Anthropological Association (AAA) narrowly voted against a resolution to boycott collaboration with Israeli academic institutions, the AAA announced on Tuesday.
The boycott resolution was opposed by 2,423 AAA members and supported by 2,384.
“We appreciate this was a difficult vote on an important and contentious issue. I’m especially proud that our members participated in knowledgeable, thoughtful, respectful debate throughout the process, and that AAA offers a model for informed engagement on difficult subjects,” AAA President Alisse Waterston said.
Waterston said that a general “consensus within the AAA remains and that is that there are serious human rights problems that exist in Israel/Palestine as a result of Israeli state policy, practices and the occupation, and that AAA must take a course of action.”
The 10,000-member association said that 51 percent of its membership voted on the boycott measure during a six-week period, marking the highest voter turnout for any resolution in AAA history.
