מארגני המשט מפרים את המשפט הבינלאומי על ידי כוונותיהם להפר את המצור הימי. לפי המשפט הבינלאומי והמינהגי, לישראל הזכות על פי חוק להטיל מצור ימי ויבשתי על עזה הנשלטת על ידי החמאס. ארגון החמאס מצהיר בפומבי על כוונותיו להשמיד את ישראל, מנהל סכסוך מזוין מתמשך מול ישראל, ושיגר עד כה למעלה מ-12,000 טילים לעבר שטחים ישראלים המאוכלסים בתושבים. לישראל הזכות החוקית והאחריות להגן על אזרחיה, והיא מממשת זכות זו על ידי בדיקה של סחורות הנכנסות לתוך עזה, זאת על מנת למנוע מאמצעי לחימה להגיע לידי החמאס
The flotilla organizers blatantly violate international law by trying to breach a legal maritime blockade. According to international and customary law, Israel has the legal right to impose a land and naval blockade on Hamas-controlled Gaza. Hamas is openly dedicated to Israel’s destruction, has been in an ongoing state of armed conflict against Israel, and has fired over 12,000 rockets into Israeli civilian centers. Israel has the legal right and responsibility to protect its citizens by inspecting goods entering Gaza to prevent weapons from reaching Hamas.
Undisclosed location north of Hebron: Israeli vehicles (and their drivers and passengers) pelted with rocks
Negohot Junction, in the southern Hebron Hills area: Israeli vehicles attacked by rock-throwing Palestinian Arabs
Hebron: An IDF checkpost attacked by rock-throwing Palestinian Arabs
The villages of Turmos Aya and Sen’jal: Israeli vehicles (and their drivers and passengers) pelted with rocks by Palestinian Arabs
The Israeli community of Eli in the Binyamin region: Palestinian Arab residents of the village of Krayot vandalized and destroyed some of Eli’s security equipment
Dir Abu Mishal: Two firebombs (Molotov cocktails) hurled at Israeli vehicles
Highway 446 near Shokba: Service personnel of the IDF apprehended a Palestinian Arab who placed rocks on the road to blockade it and to endangered Israeli travelers on the road.
Tuesday May 22, 2012
The synagogue in the community of Tel-Zion in the Binyamin region is vandalized and violated, evidently by Palestinian Arabs. Religious items are stolen. A Torah scroll is destroyed.
Near the Israeli community of Har Adar on Jerusalem’s northern edge: A fire bomb (Molotov cocktail) and rocks are hurled at a Border Police patrol. A serviceman suffers an injury to his leg.
Near Tekoa, south of Jerusalem in the Gush Etzion area: Two rock-throwing attacks on Israeli vehicles by Palestinian Arabs.
The Gush Etzion-to-Hebron road, a major highway, near El Arub: Palestinian Arabs carry out yet another in a long and damaging series of rock-throwing attacks directed at Israeli vehicles and the people inside them
Har Gilo, a southern suburb of Jerusalem: An IDF post is attacked by Palestinian Arabs armed with fire-bombs (Molotov cocktails)
Giti Avisher Junction, near Ariel in the Shomron (Samaria district): Palestinian Arabs carried out a rock-throwing attack on Israeli vehicles. One person is moderately injured.
Near Negahot in the southern Hebron Hills area: Palestinian Arabs carry out firebomb (Molotov cocktail) attacks on passing Israeli vehicles
Wednesday May 23, 2012
The vicinity of the Kissufim crossing on Israel’s southern border with the Hams-controlled Gaza Strip: A shooting attack from the Hamas side of the fence results in an IDF officer and a soldier being wounded by fire. Their injuries are moderate to medium; they are evacuated to Soroka Hospital for emergency treatment.
From the Shabak, the Israeli Secret Service, it is reported that a number of Palestinian Arabs resident in the Hebron area were arrested and investigated for belonging to terrorist cells active in and around Hebron [Haaretz covered it here]. One cell laid explosive devices on the road near Zif Junction. A second planned the abduction of an Israeli resident (any Israeli) of the nearby community of Kiryat Arba. The cells are believed to be responsible for many of proliferating rock attacks on Road 60, the Gush Etzion-to-Hebron highway. The alleged head of the cell, Ma’ataz Kawasma, is a veteran guest of the Israeli prison system.
Hawara, south of Nablus (Shechem in Hebrew). Palestinian Arabs hurled massive rocks at a passing Israeli vehicle. This mode of deliberate and murderous attack is similar to the one that caused the deaths of Asher Palmer and his year-old infant son Yonatan a year ago. [See “27-Jan-12: Rocks of reality? A postscript”]
Hawara, south of Nablus (Shechem) again: A unit of the IDF apprehended a Palestinian Arab in possession of a knife and 6 explosive devices.
Thursday May 24, 2012 (today)
Near Har Harif on Israel’s border with Egypt: A Beduin Arab, apparently smuggling drugs across the border into Israel, was shot by an IDF patrol. He was evacuated to hospital for emergency treatment.
A Toronto native living in Jerusalem literally got away with his life when Arab school students smashed the windows of his car and tried to attack him Monday morning.
The near-deadly rock-throwing attack occurred as Ephraim Silverberg was making his annual pilgrimage to the Mount of Olives Cemetery for the anniversary of the death of his grandfather, who was brought to Israel for burial after he died in Toronto.
New generation thugs and terrorists currently in training.
ϟ Shin Bet Reveals Hamas Plot to Kidnap IDF Soldiers
Last year, Hamas terrorist Omar Abu Sanina was released from Israeli jail and transferred to the Gaza Strip as part of the deal to free Gilad Shalit from Hamas captivity. Born in 1981 in Hebron, Abu Sanina was formerly a Fatah operative; he was sentenced to life in prison for murder. While he was in prison, Hamas agents recruited him to join their movement.
Released Hamas terrorists celebrating
Recently, Abu Sanina sent a memory stick to his family in Judea and Samaria. On it were detailed instructions for how to kidnap an Israeli soldier. Abu Sanina intended for the information to reach operatives who he had recruited, but the memory stick was captured by the Shin Bet. It included the following excerpts:
“One should avoid hiding [the kidnapped soldier] in deserted places such as caves or forests, unless it’s their body or severed head. If dealing with a live person, which will need to be visited at least once a week (for supplying food etc.) it is best to hide them in a house, a farm, a workplace or similar.”
“Resources, weapons, and explosives should be prepared ahead of time. This with extreme caution and in the proper methods. It is possible to obtain weapons from the enemy, even if it necessitates the use of “cold” weaponry [knives, blades] first.”
“The first stage is to build a small team according to the orders, equipping its members with all the equipment, and training them in executing uncomplicated attacks.”
“We will be informed of the kidnapping only after its successful execution, and only through an encrypted channel. One must not talk openly or give away details, except in face-to-face meetings. We will officially announce the kidnapping via the Supreme Military Council.”
“Warren Weinstein was abducted by al-Qaeda in Pakistan last year when gunmen broke into his home in Lahore, and now the terrorist organization has released a video with Weinstein saying he will be killed if President Obama does not heed to the terrorist group’s demands.”
The IDF foiled two attempted terrorist attacks in Samaria on Thursday night.
In the first incident, Border Police officers arrested two terrorists in their 20s at the Tapuach junction in Samaria. The terrorists were found to be carrying explosives and knives.
Sappers detonated the explosives, and no one was hurt. The two suspects were transferred to security authorities for further interrogation.
In 2001, when my son Koby was 13 years old, Palestinian terrorists murdered him with his friend, Yosef Ish Ran, here in Israel. Unfortunately, the horror of that act made me and my family part of Jewish history. Now you and your family are part of history too.
Eva, you are obviously a remarkable Jewish woman already transforming your pain, writing to us telling people to increase their learning of Torah, to light candles before the time Shabbat begins, so that your tragedy brings more light into the world.
And through your generosity of spirit and empathy for the Jewish people, it’s not just the terror perpetrated on your own family that we will remember. Because you named your son Gabriel after Gavriel Holtzberg, who along with his wife was murdered in a terror attack at the Chabad House in Mumbai, we remember him too.
But the question that people are asking me and the question I am asking myself is personal. How are you going to survive this loss? How are you going to survive, period? It’s like being disabled, Binyamin Netanyahu told you after your two children and husband were murdered in a terror attack in Toulouse last week. “It’s like missing a limb.” He is telling you from personal experience because he, too, is bereaved. His brother Yoni was killed in the Entebbe raid.
Like Netanyahu, I can tell you from experience. The pain is indescribable. Nobody wants to imagine it. Everybody is terrified of the pain.
People are also afraid of my family’s pain. Koby and Yosef were cruelly murdered, beaten to death with rocks.
It’s a truck crushing you, a tsunami, an earthquake.
When Koby was murdered, for me it was the feeling that life was not worth living, that everything I counted on was gone.
Evil had invaded my home.
When I grew up in the 1960s in New York, I heard that the Jews suffered. But me. I didn’t suffer. I didn’t understand the Jewish history of suffering.
During the shiva we asked a bereaved father, a rabbi, how we would survive. He told us, “You have to use your pain to grow.”
You are already doing that.
Eva, you remind me of Oscar Pistorius, the South African runner who runs on carbon fiber artificial limbs, blades really. Critics claim that he has an unfair advantage: he’s faster than a regular runner.
You refuse to allow disability to paralyze you. You are already learning to walk while missing limbs.
You see, and most people don’t realize this: you have the ability to do great things.
To go beyond.
Most people are not aware of post traumatic growth – some people who experience tragedy believe that it gives them a kind of wisdom. Some go on to do great things.
But greatness in Judaism has to do with acts of kindness.
Years ago, when I met the actor Christopher Reeves, who played Superman in the movies, he told me that before he was paralyzed in a horse back riding accident, he thought that greatness had to do with heroic activities: sailing around the world alone, climbing high mountains, equestrian jumping.
And then when he was gravely injured, unable to move his limbs, he understood: greatness had to do with everyday kindness and overcoming everyday obstacles.
It’s not surprising that a synonym for kindness in Hebrew is gedula, greatness.
Greatness sometimes means just that – becoming bigger.
The pain and terror of the chaos and darkness and evil of loss is so great it threatens to unbalance you. At first it will.
But you will become greater in order to recalibrate your center of gravity. One day your happiness, too, will become greater. We see that at Camp Koby, the summer camp we run for 400 bereaved children in Israel. Their happiness is tremendous, wonderful. It is, one counselor said, “the happiest place in the world.”
Despite the fact that every kid there has lost a mother, a father, a sister or a brother to terror or tragedy.
I have a handicapped friend who is an excellent swimmer.
She told me, “If the world were a pool, I wouldn’t be disabled.”
There are ways to circumvent the feeling of disability.
Everything now needs to be redefined. You are already doing that.
At our shiva, a general in the IDF came to see us. We had never met him before and as he sat at the edge of the couch, ramrod straight, he told us: “Everybody will go away. And you will be alone in this.”
It’s true. We bereaved are all in the end alone. But we Jews are all also surrounded by a community that refuses to let us fall, that supports us and nourishes us.
As a people we have experienced centuries of rising from the ashes of sadness and redeeming ourselves with a love of Torah and Jewish learning and values including a love for the land of Israel, where your husband and children are now buried. Please God, Israel will also be the site, for you and for all of us, of great simcha, great happiness.
Because the secret of the Jewish people may be this: we are masters in post-traumatic growth. Out of the ashes of the Holocaust, Israel was reborn. We build from pain. While our enemies celebrate destruction, we celebrate creation. We celebrate life.
Today, Bet Nissan, marks Baby Shalhevet’s 11th Yartzheit.
Baby Shalhevet was murdered by a sniper as she was seated in her pram, on the way to visit her grandparents in the Avraham Avinu neighbourhood in Hebron.
Baby Shalhevet’s funeral
A memorial for Baby Shalhevet in Hebron, where she was murdered