Palestinian rioters set fire to Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus - TIMES OF ISRAEL

Palestinian rioters set fire to Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus

PA forces douse the flames and disperse some hundred rioters, who caused heavy damage to the West Bank holy site

BY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF October 16, 2015, 4:54 am

Screenshot from the fire started by Palestinian rioters at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, in the West Bank, on October 16, 2015.

The Walla website also reported that PA security forces had brought the fire under control and dispersed the rioters. The blaze caused major damage to the women’s section at the site, the website said.

There were no reports of any injuries in the incident, which followed a day of relative calm in Israel and the West Bank after weeks of deadly Palestinian terror attacks and clashes.

A large group of Palestinians set fire to the compound containing Joseph’s Tomb in the West Bank city of Nablus.

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Channel 2 television said Palestinian Authority security forces dispersed the hundred-strong crowd and managed to douse the fire at the tomb, believed to contain the remains of the biblical patriarch Joseph. Israel Defense Forces troops arrived at the scene once the confrontation was over and the fire was out, the television station reported.

“The burning and desecration of Joseph’s Tomb last night is a blatant violation and contradiction of the basic value of freedom of worship. The IDF will take all measures to bring the perpetrators of this despicable act to justice, restore the site to its previous condition and ensure that the freedom of worship returns to Joseph’s Tomb,” IDF Spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said in a statement Friday morning.

Israel has bolstered its troop presence in Jerusalem and the West Bank in the wake of the violence. As in previous weeks, only women, of all ages, and men over the age of 40 will be allowed to enter the flashpoint Temple Mount for Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Watch videos: Torching of Joseph's Tomb - TIMES OF ISRAEL

Author: Baltimore 'Riot Mom' Needed in Jerusalem

5/6/2015 RAFAEL MEDOFF/FOR JNS.ORG  charisma news

The 'Baltimore Riot Mom' made headlines when she chastised her son on camera for taking part in the riots there recently. (YouTube)

One of the most enduring images from the Baltimore riots was that of the irate mother of a rioter vigorously admonishing and slapping her law-breaking teenage son. Millions of frustrated Americans, watching the televised images of mobs of young people burning and looting at will, no doubt wondered, "Where are their parents?"

Toya Graham, dubbed "the Baltimore Riot Mom" by the media, was one parent who refused to stand idly by any longer.

Some Israelis are probably wishing there were a few "riot moms" in the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem. The New York Times on May 1 published a lengthy, sympathetic report about two Arab boys, ages 12 and 7, who were arrested for throwing rocks at a bus in Jerusalem. The newspaper's correspondent, Diaa Hadid, reported that human rights groups claim that by arresting young rock-throwers, Israel is unfairly "traumatizing the children."

The article did note that a 4-year-old Israeli girl, Adele Biton, recently died from injuries caused by Arab rock-throwers. Although the New York Times did not mention it, at least 14 Israelis have been killed in rock-throwing attacks. Three of them were Israeli Arabs who were attacked because they were mistaken for Israeli Jews.

There are a number of ways that a rock can prove lethal. It can strike a passenger directly in the head, as happened, for example, to Esther Ohana, as she was delivering invitations to her wedding in 1983; and to 5-month-old Yehuda Shoham, as he was strapped in his infant car seat in 2001. Or it can strike the driver, causing a fatal crash, as happened to the driver of the car in which 11-year-old Chava Wechsberg was a passenger, in 1993; and to Asher Palmer in 2011, killing him and his 1-year-old son.

Even if the rocks that were thrown at the bus in Jerusalem last week did not break the glass, the jolt and shock of a barrage of stones smashing against the front windshield could have caused the driver to swerve, endangering the lives of both the bus passengers and pedestrians nearby.

Much of the New York Times article consisted of quotes from relatives of the two arrested boys, trying to paint them in sympathetic terms. The grandfather of the younger rock-thrower, Ahmad Zaatari, said Ahmad was too young to throw a rock more than "a meter." A meter, of course, is just slightly more than three feet, a distance that any 7-year-old rock-thrower could certainly cover.

Ahmad's uncle, for his part, complained that during his detention from 7:30 p.m. until 2:30 am, the boy "was terrified and had not been given anything to eat." While one can perhaps understand why Ahmad would have liked a midnight snack, the failure of the Israeli police to provide late-night food service hardly seems to be evidence of mistreatment.

The contrast between the mother in Baltimore and the relatives in Jerusalem could not be more striking.

The Baltimore Riot Mom saw her son throwing rocks, and she responded by pulling him away from the rioting mob, slapping him, and administering a thorough tongue-lashing. She made it unmistakably clear to her son that his behavior and was immoral and unacceptable, and that she, as his parent, would not tolerate it.

The Jerusalem Riot Relatives saw their grandson and nephew throwing rocks, and they responded by denouncing the authorities for arresting him. The grandfather and uncle did not exhibit an ounce of sympathy for the innocent bus passengers who could have been maimed, or even murdered, by the rocks that their boy threw. 

All they could talk about was how Ahmad was scared and hungry and could not possibly have done what the Israelis said he did. The relatives gave no indication they would tell Ahmad that what he did was immoral or unacceptable.

There are many contributing factors that lead up to the moment when a youth picks up a rock and throws it at someone, whether it be in Baltimore or Jerusalem. Peer pressure, the influence of teachers, and the general religious and political environment all play some role.

But it all starts in the home. That's where family members have the opportunity to set a child straight—or to set him on the road to a lifetime of violence, bloodshed, and imprisonment. 

Dr. Rafael Medoff is the author of 15 books about Jewish history, Zionism, and the Holocaust.

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Massive Weapons cache Headed for Jerusalem Uncovered Among Christmas Decorations

Massive Weapons cache Headed for Jerusalem Uncovered Among Christmas Decorations

Click here to watch: Massive Weapons cache Headed for Jerusalem Uncovered Among Christmas Decorations 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. Watch Here 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