Showing posts with label East Jerusalem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East Jerusalem. Show all posts

Thursday, March 16, 2017

UN Accuses Israel of a New Atrocity - BOB ESCHLIMAN CHARISMA NEWS

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia—a group comprised of 17 Muslim-majority countries and the Palestinian Authority—has determined Israel is committing apartheid against the Palestinians. (Official photo)

UN Accuses Israel of a New Atrocity

BOB ESCHLIMAN  CHARISMA NEWS
In the past decade, the United Nations' one-sided approach to the Israel-Palestinian issue has been best exemplified by the 223 resolutions it has passed that condemn the Jewish state.
If a new report from the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia is any indication, don't expect that to change anytime soon. In that document (click here to read in full), Israel is accused of committing racial apartheid.
"This report examines, based on key instruments of international law, whether Israel has established an apartheid regime that oppresses and dominates the Palestinian people as a whole," the report's preface states. "Having established that the crime of apartheid has universal application, that the question of the status of the Palestinians as a people is settled in law, and that the crime of apartheid should be considered at the level of the State, the report sets out to demonstrate how Israel has imposed such a system on the Palestinians in order to maintain the domination of one racial group over others.
"A history of war, annexation and expulsions, as well as a series of practices, has left the Palestinian people fragmented into four distinct population groups, three of them (citizens of Israel, residents of East Jerusalem and the populace under occupation in the West Bank and Gaza) living under direct Israeli rule and the remainder, refugees and involuntary exiles, living beyond. This fragmentation, coupled with the application of discrete bodies of law to those groups, lie at the heart of the apartheid regime. They serve to enfeeble opposition to it and to veil its very existence. This report concludes, on the basis of overwhelming evidence, that Israel is guilty of the crime of apartheid, and urges swift action to oppose and end it."
What most liberal media reports won't tell you, however, is the "racial" composition of the nations that comprise the ESCWA. Here's the list:
  • Bahrain,
  • Egypt,
  • Iraq,
  • Jordan,
  • Kuwait,
  • Lebanon,
  • Libya,
  • Mauritania,
  • Morocco,
  • Oman,
  • the "State of Palestine,"
  • Qatar,
  • Saudi Arabia,
  • Sudan,
  • Syria,
  • Tunisia,
  • the United Arab Emirates, and
  • Yemen
Are you really surprised now?
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Monday, January 2, 2017

Palestinians Thank UN for Giving Them Permission to Murder Jews - Ryan Jones ISRAEL TODAY

Palestinians Thank UN for Giving Them Permission to Murder Jews

Monday, January 02, 2017 |  Ryan Jones  ISRAEL TODAY
UN Security Council Resolution 2334 was more than just a carefully-orchestrated slap in Israel’s face by outgoing-US President Barack Obama.
It was a trigger, intentional or not, for renewed bloodshed.
The resolution essentially supports the Palestinian interpretation of Security Council Resolution 242, namely, that Jews have no right to live in any part of the so-called “West Bank,” including the eastern half of Jerusalem.
Several of those who authored Resolution 242 back in 1967 have stated that they intentionally did not demand that Israel surrender all the territory it captured in the Six Day War.
But the Palestinians and Israel’s other detractors don’t see it that way. And Resolution 2334 has just given them a major boost.
Most worrying is that Palestinian groups see it as approval for their violent struggle (read: campaign of terror) against those Jews who dare defy the international community by settling in their biblical heartland.
This was demonstrated by none other than Fatah, the political movement of “moderate” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Fatah boasts many violent logos and political cartoons. One depicts the entire Land of Israel colored as a Palestinian flag and being used to stab the word “settlement.” Following the passing of Resolution 2334, Fatah reissued that picture, adding the words “Thank You” above a list of the 14 nations that voted in favor (the US, which abstained in the vote, was left out).
“Fatah is saying more Israelis will pay with their lives as a result of the UN resolution,” explained Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli NGO that monitors and analyzes local Arab media.
Perhaps that was Obama’s intention. Perhaps it wasn’t. But either way, it once again demonstrates that the “wisdom of this world” (1 Cor. 3:19) cannot undo God’s plans. It can only lead to more suffering.
PHOTO: A young Fatah supporter shouts anti-Israel slogans (Wisam Hashalmoun/Flash90)
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Thursday, December 29, 2016

John Kerry Unveils His Plan For A Palestinian State Based Upon 1967 Borders With East Jerusalem As The Capital - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

john-kerry-photo-by-david-hume-kennerly

Posted: 28 Dec 2016   Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Barack Obama stabbed Israel in the back on Friday, and now John Kerry has slapped Israel in the face just five days later.  In a shameful speech that lasted for 71 dreadful minutes, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry laid out his plan for peace in the Middle East on Wednesday.  His six-part plan is being welcomed warmly by the Palestinians, but it has further infuriated the Israelis. 

Kerry claims that his plan reflects the emerging global consensus as to what a “final solution” will look like, and now we will wait to see what the 70 nations that will be gathering in France to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on January 15th will do.  There is a great deal of concern that the principles agreed upon at that conference will form the basis for a UN Security Council resolution that will be rushed to a vote before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20th.

The core of Kerry’s plan is the division of the land of Israel into two states.  The borders between Israel and “Palestine” would be based upon the 1967 ceasefire lines with mutually agreed upon land swaps.  The following comes from ynetnews.com
Outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry laid out the Obama administration’s parameters for peace between Israel and the Palestinians during a speech at the State Department on Wednesday that lasted 71 minutes, one of the longest in US State Department history.
Breaking sharply from longstanding US policy that foreign powers shouldn’t impose a solution, Kerry unveiled a six-part outline of what a future peace deal could look like. The outline tracked closely with principles long assumed to be part of an eventual deal, and Kerry insisted he was merely describing what’s emerged as points of general agreement.
Primarily, Kerry called to create a secure and recognized border between Israel and a contiguous Palestine along the 1967 lines, with “mutually agreed, equivalent (land) swaps.”
As part of the land swaps, Kerry insists that the Palestinians must be given land that connects the West Bank and the Gaza strip.  In his speech he stated that “Palestine must be viable and contiguous”, and he made it exceedingly clear that East Jerusalem will be the capital of the new Palestinian state.

Of course UN Security Council Resolution 2334 has already given the entire West Bank and every inch of East Jerusalem to the Palestinians.  So the only thing that another UN Security Council resolution would be needed for would be to formally establish a Palestinian state.
Kerry went on to say that if Israel does not accept a two-state solution “it will not have peace with the rest of the Arab world, I can guarantee that.”

Of course Kerry is half-correct in making that statement, because Israel will not have peace with the rest of the Arab world even if a Palestinian state is established.  In fact, the establishment of a Palestinian state would actually make war much more likely.
Kerry also shockingly claimed that “Israel can either be Jewish or democratic”
Kerry said a two-state solution, which calls for an independent Palestinian state existing peacefully alongside Israel, is the only way to guarantee the Jewish state’s long-term security in the region.
“If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both,” Kerry said.
Needless to say, Kerry’s speech sparked a tremendous amount of outrage among pro-Israel leaders here in the United States.
Yes John Kerry, if only this orange sliver was smaller there would be peace. pic.twitter.com/afvRO0O9Kq
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) December 28, 2016

One of the leaders that is condemning Kerry’s remarks is U.S. Senator Ted Cruz.  In a strongly worded statement, he accused Barack Obama and John Kerry of being “relentless enemies of Israel”
Ted Cruz, a Republican senator and 2016 presidential candidate, lit into Kerry and Obama in a statement that accused of them being ‘bitter clingers.’
They’re ‘spending every last minute of this administration wreaking havoc domestically and abroad,’ he said.
‘These acts are shameful. They are designed to secure a legacy, and indeed they have: history will record and the world will fully understand Obama and Kerry as relentless enemies of Israel.’
And Donald Trump is speaking out as well.  On Twitter, he let the world know what he thinks about how the Obama administration has been treating Israel…
“We cannot continue to let Israel be treated with such total disdain and disrespect,” Trump tweeted. “The beginning of the end was the horrible Iran deal, and now this (U.N.!) Stay strong, Israel, January 20th is fast approaching!”
In response, Barack Obama actually got on the phone and called Donald Trump in an attempt to smooth things over.

After eight years of failure, Barack Obama has saved the very worst for last.  With less than 30 days to go in his presidency, he has chosen this moment to betray Israel, and by doing so he has greatly cursed America.

I don’t get upset about a lot these days, but this is something that is worth getting upset about.  If Obama would have just left things alone, everything would have been fine.  But instead of deferring to the next president on important matters, Obama has chosen to implement a “scorched earth policy” during his final month in the White House.

As we move into 2017, our relationship with Israel is going to be one of the biggest political issues that we are facing.

If you are anti-Israel, you are with Barack Obama, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, the United Nations and all the rest of the globalists that are obsessed with dividing the land of Israel.

If you are pro-Israel, you are with Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Ted Cruz and all of the other brave leaders that are fighting the forces of globalism.

All over the world, the forces of anti-Semitism are rising.  Even here in the United States, there are large numbers of people that are virulently anti-Israel.

Ultimately, it is a spiritual thing.  Those that hate Israel and that hate the Jewish people are being inspired by the powers of darkness, and this cancer is spreading even among those that call themselves Bible-believing Christians.

God loves all people – and this includes the Israelis and the Palestinians.  And the ultimate solution to the problems in the Middle East would be to follow God’s blueprint, but unfortunately global leaders have their own ideas, and their anti-Semitic agenda is going to end up getting an enormous amount of people killed.

Monday, December 26, 2016

The UN Security Council Has Just Officially Given Every Inch Of East Jerusalem To The Palestinians - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

jerusalem-photo-by-berthold-werner

Posted: 25 Dec 2016  Michael Snyder  THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Barack Obama has just made the worst decision of his entire presidency.  On Friday, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 2334, and this never would have happened without the support and approval of Barack Obama.  Since the United States has veto power on the Security Council, no resolution can ever pass unless the United States allows it to pass. 

For decades, it has been the policy of the U.S. government to veto all anti-Israel resolutions at the Security Council, and the Israeli government had been expecting that Barack Obama would not suddenly change that policy at the very end of his second term.  Most of the news headlines about resolution 2334 refer to “Israeli settlements”, but the reality of the matter is that this resolution is about much more than that. 

The truth is that this resolution has established legally binding parameters for a “two-state solution” that Israel will never accept, and this includes giving every inch of East Jerusalem to the Palestinians.

If you have not read it yet, you can find the full text of resolution 2334 right here.  It is one of the most important documents of our time, so you need to take a few minutes to read it.

In the excerpt below, you will see that this resolution clearly states that East Jerusalem is in “Palestinian territory” and that the Security Council says that it will recognize no changes to the pre-1967 borders except “those agreed by the parties through negotiations”…
Reaffirms that the establishment by Israel of settlements in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace;
Reiterates its demand that Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territoryincluding East Jerusalem, and that it fully respect all of its legal obligations in this regard;
Underlines that it will not recognize any changes to the 4 June 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties through negotiations;
Of course not one inch of East Jerusalem was controlled by Israel prior to the 1967 war.  So the UN Security Council is saying that unless the Palestinians agree to give it up, every single inch of East Jerusalem (including the Temple Mount) belongs to the Palestinians.

As I have explained before, UN Security Council resolutions are considered to be legally binding on the parties.  Now that the Palestinians have been granted full legal ownership over East Jerusalem, does anyone actually believe that they will ever willingly relinquish that?

Today, more than half a million Israelis live in East Jerusalem and the 137 settlements that are scattered throughout the West Bank.

Where are they all supposed to go?

This UN Security Council resolution never should have happened.  President-elect Donald Trump made it abundantly clear that he would have vetoed this resolution, but instead of deferring to the next administration Barack Obama decided to viciously stab Israel in the back.  This is the greatest betrayal of Israel in American history, and according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the Obama administration has been plotting this for quite a while
“From the information that we have, we have no doubt that the Obama administration initiated it, stood behind it, coordinated on the wording and demanded that it be passed,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “This is, of course, in complete contradiction of the traditional American policy that was committed to not trying to dictate terms for a permanent agreement, like any issue related to them in the Security Council, and, of course, the explicit commitment of President Obama himself, in 2011, to refrain from such steps.”
During an interview with with CNN on Sunday, an official spokesperson for Netanyahu said essentially the same thing…
Netanyahu spokesman David Keyes told CNN on Sunday“We have iron-clad information, frankly, that the Obama administration really helped push this resolution and helped craft it, from sources internationally and sources in the Arab world.”
Unfortunately, Obama’s actions are going to have very serious implications for all of us.
As I just explained in an article on The Most Important News, those that bless Israel will be blessed, and those that curse Israel will be cursed.

And this is especially true when it comes to Jerusalem.  In Zechariah 2:8 we are told that those that touch Jerusalem touch the apple of God’s eye, and in Zechariah 12 we are told that the city of Jerusalem will play a significant role in the last days.  The following is what Zechariah 12:3 says in the Modern English Version
“And it will be on that day that I will set Jerusalem as a weighty stone to all the peoples. All who carry it will surely gash themselves, and all the nations of the land will be gathered against it.”
By defiantly attempting to divide the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem during the waning days of his presidency, Barack Obama has cursed America.

You may not believe in blessings and curses, but the Word of God says that those that curse Israel will be cursed, and without a doubt we will most assuredly be cursed as a result of what Barack Obama has done.

And of course the entire Middle East is going to suffer as well.  Instead of bringing peace, this resolution just sets the stage for more conflict.  According to the Times of Israel, the Netanyahu government is already promising not to adhere to the terms of the resolution…
“Israel categorically rejects the despicable anti-Israeli resolution at the UN, and will not adhere to it,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a seething statement after the council voted in favor of the motion 14-0.
Knowing all of this, put yourself into the shoes of the Palestinians for a moment.

The UN Security Council has given them legal rights to a nation with borders based on the pre-1967 lines.  They have been given every inch of East Jerusalem, and every Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem and the West Bank has officially been declared illegal.

If Israel refuses to budge, the Palestinians could very easily come to the conclusion that they have exhausted all legal channels for resolving the conflict and that the only way they are going to get what legally belongs to them is to take it by force.

A great war is coming to the Middle East, and it will be a life or death struggle between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Nothing else that Barack Obama has done during his entire time in the White House even comes close to this.  He has greatly cursed America, he has set the stage for the bloodiest war the Middle East has ever seen, and he has defiantly shaken his fist at the one true God that created all things.

May God have mercy on us all.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Obama Reluctantly Signs BDS Bill Recognizing Territories as Part of Israel by Ahuva Balofsky - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS


Obama Reluctantly Signs BDS Bill Recognizing Territories as Part of Israel


“And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said: ‘How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ And the people answered him not a word.” (1 Kings 18:21)
A trade bill which passed a senate vote Thursday is set to be signed into law by US President Barack Obama, despite his objections to its pro-Israel portions. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 came before Congress last summer as part of a package designed to strengthen rule enforcement and address currency manipulation.
The bill, however, contains a provision which would extend agreements with Israel into “Israeli-controlled territories”, a move lauded by pro-Israel lobby AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) but criticised by the White House, which said it “contravenes longstanding U.S. policy towards Israel and the occupied territories, including with regard to Israeli settlement activity.”
statement by White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest acknowledged that the president would sign the bill despite his objections. “As with any bipartisan compromise legislation, there are provisions in this bill that we do not support,” he explained. “However, the legislation would strengthen trade enforcement at our ports and borders and improve our ability to stop evasion of our trade laws; improve transparency, accountability, and coordination in enforcement efforts; and give us unprecedented new tools to address unfair currency practices. Its passage is an important milestone in our overall trade agenda.”
The bill includes a clause intended to curb politically-motivated trade moves, such as limiting or prohibiting economic relations with Israel. The clause, which discourages corporate or state-affiliated entities from participating in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, received particular accolades from AIPAC.
NO to BDS and YES to Israel!
“The provision puts the US firmly on record opposing BDS and supporting enhanced commercial ties between the United States and Israel,” AIPAC said in a statement Thursday. “This measure builds on the important work of Congress … passing into law firm anti-BDS negotiating objectives for American trade negotiators.”
In accordance with the bill, 180 days following its passage, the US administration will be required to report to the Congress on global BDS activities, including the participation of foreign companies in political boycotts of Israel. A number of legal protections for American businesses operating in Israel are also included.
While Obama opposes BDS, the White House expressed concern about extending such a clause to East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and Judea and Samaria, regions considered “occupied”. Long-standing US policy has held that Israeli settlement activity in these regions undermine peace efforts and the establishment of a two-state solution.
As one administration official told The Times of Israel, successive US governments have walked a fine line between enhancing economic ties with Israel and preserving the possibility of a two-state solution with the Palestinians. He said this has been a priority for both Democrats and Republicans since the US-Israel Free Trade agreement was signed in 1985.
The bill passed Thursday’s Senate vote 75-20.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Netanyahu rejects French ultimatum on Palestinian statehood - TRUNEWS

Israel


Netanyahu rejects French ultimatum on Palestinian statehood

Jan. 31, 2016  Reuters


Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Sunday for a more “sober” approach towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in dismissing a French peace initiative as only encouraging Palestinians to shun compromise.

The proposal on Friday by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius for an international peace conference was the latest sign of Western frustration over the absence of movement toward a two-state solution since the collapse of U.S.-brokered negotiations in 2014.

Fabius said that if the French plan did not break the deadlock, Paris would recognize a Palestinian state.

Such a step would raise concern in Israel that other European countries, also long opposed to its settlement-building in occupied territory, would follow suit.

In public remarks to his cabinet, Netanyahu did not explicitly reject the notion of an international conference – an aide said Israel would examine such a request once it was received – but he made clear that reported details of the plan made it a non-starter.

Netanyahu said a “threat” to recognize a Palestinian state if France’s peace efforts did not succeed, constituted “an incentive to the Palestinians to come along and not compromise”.


Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem   May 10, 2015. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner


“I assess that there will be a sobering up regarding this matter,” Netanyahu added. “In any event, we will make effort so that there is a sobering up here, and our position is very clear: We are prepared to enter direct negotiation without preconditions and without dictated terms.”

On Saturday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the French proposal, telling an African summit in Ethiopia that “the status quo cannot continue”.

But Washington responded with caution to the French move, saying it continued to prefer that Israel and the Palestinians reach an agreement on final-status issues through direct talks.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Abbas and the two discussed the French initiative and “the tense political situation in the region,” WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency reported on Sunday.

While aware the initiative may struggle to get off the ground, French officials said Paris had a responsibility to act now in the face of Israeli settlement activity and the prospect of continued diplomatic inaction as the United States focuses on a presidential election in November.

And, the officials said, Netanyahu had gone a step too far in accusing U.N. Secretary of State Ban Ki-moon of giving a “tailwind to terrorism” by laying some of the blame for four months of stabbings and car rammings by Palestinians at Israel’s door. Ban angered Israel by saying last week that it is “human nature to react to occupation”.

The United States, European Union – Israel’s closest allies – have also issued unusually stern criticism of Israel in recent weeks, reflecting their own frustration with the policies of Netanyahu’s right-wing government.

The criticism, particularly about the settlements, where some 550,000 Jews live in around 250 communities scattered across the West Bank and East Jerusalem, has raised Palestinian hopes that world powers might finally be minded to support a U.N. resolution condemning Israel’s policy outright.

WEST BANK ATTACK

Since October, Palestinian attacks, partly fueled by tensions over the freeze in peace talks, have killed 26 Israelis and a U.S. citizen.

In an incident on Sunday, a Palestinian gunman wounded three Israelis near the West Bank settlement of Beit El and was then shot dead by soldiers, the Israeli army said. Palestinian officials said he worked as a bodyguard for a Palestinian prosecutor in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Shortly after that attack, a Palestinian motorist was shot and wounded when he tried to run down soldiers at a military checkpoint in the West Bank, the army said.

Over the past four months, Israeli forces have killed at least 152 Palestinians, 98 of them assailants according to authorities. Most the others have died in violent protests.

“I don’t see anything that warrants living as long as the occupation smothers us and kills our brothers and sisters … You were first and I am following you,” the Beit El assailant, Amjad Abu Omar, wrote on Facebook.

Palestinians seek a state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, parts of which have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East war. Palestine has non-member observer status at the United Nations and its flag flies with those of member states at UN headquarters in New York.

Sweden became the first EU member nation to recognize the Palestinian state in 2014. A total of 136 U.N.-member countries, mostly in Africa, Latin America and Asia, now do so.

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Tuesday, November 25, 2014

East Jerusalem Church Faces Regular Attacks

Jerusalem Church Faces Regular Attacks

Tuesday, November 25, 2014 |  Israel Today Staff
A church in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Musrara has for months been facing regular attacks by local Arab Muslims over its refusal to sell the property and move out.
Living Bread International Church has ministry centers in Jerusalem, Gaza and Jericho. It has a 20-year lease on the Jerusalem location, but was recently told by a gang of Arab residents that it must vacate the premises, which is situated near the Old City.
"When we said we would not sell it, they decided to take it by force," Karen Dunham, pastor and director of the ministry, told The Jerusalem Post
Since then, Dunham said the church's 45 employees have been subjected to constant harassment, as have two Jewish orphans with Down's Syndrome that are housed at the facility.
Staff members, including Dunham herself, have been physically assaulted, property has been stolen, and the assailants have started building make-shift structures on the church's property in an attempt to take it over.
As with many similar situations in the city, Dunham has been frustrated by the Police Department's reluctance to fully and effectively enforce the law.
"We...took pictures of [the assailants] during attacks and [were] able to identify them using Facebook, but after filing the first two or three police reports I realized nothing was happening," she said. "They [the assailants] continued to sit outside [the church] and harass us."
Police in Jerusalem rarely take firm action in cases of Arab violence against the city's Jewish residents, and are even less likely to intervene in Arab assaults on a largely Arab church. And this for fear of further inflaming Muslim rioters who have for the past six months turned parts of Jerusalem into something of a war zone.
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Thursday, November 20, 2014

Massive Weapons cache Headed for Jerusalem Uncovered Among Christmas Decorations

jerusalem-boud-weapons
A massive amount of fireworks, knives and Tasers police believe were meant in part to be used by rioters clashing with police were seized last week by Jerusalem District detectives and officers from the Tax Authority and the Ashdod Port Customs, police announced on Thursday. Police said the seizure came after Jerusalem detectives ran an undercover investigation along with the tax and customs officials, during which they were able to track and seize two shipping containers which came to Ashdod by way of China. The fireworks were hidden among Christmas decorations inside the containers, which were intended for Arab residents of the largely Christian east Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina. Last Tuesday, three of the suspects arrived at the Ashdod Port and claimed the containers, and then drove with them on trailers to a storehouse in Afula, where they planned to unload the merchandise. They were then arrested at the spot before unloading the containers, as was the owner of the storehouse. Inside the containers police said they found 18,000 fireworks of the restricted 20mm variety, as well as 5,200 commando knives, 4,300 flashlights that can be modified into improvised Tasers, 5,500 Tasers, and 1,000 swords.
Fireworks have become a highly popular tool of rioters facing off with police and soldiers during riots in the Arab sector, in particular in East Jerusalem. The firecrackers, including large roman candles, are pointed horizontally towards police and soldiers and fired like ammunition. Some of the larger gauge fireworks can penetrate police protective gear at close range, including their plastic shields. All can cause severe burns and if some of the larger ones hit on the right spot, such as the neck, they can potentially be fatal. On Tuesday, the Knesset Economics Committee voted to ban the import of fireworks throughFebruary 15th, noting that the explosives had been used as weapons against security forces in clashes. "Fireworks have become a significant danger to the security forces and we must eliminate their use as a weapon," said committee vice chairman MK Karin Elharar (Yesh Atid). The expiration date on the limitation was put in place to ensure the ban did not excessively hurt importers, but the Yaron Mor, who chairs the forum of firework importers, noted that the ban might not be effective in and of itself. In testimony before the committee, he said that there were smuggled containers of fireworks in the country that could still fall into the wrong hands.
Source: Jerusalem Post