Major Palestinian Terror Attack in Beersheva Central Bus Station (9:30 pm Update)

5 Cheshvan 5776

Sunday, October 18 2015

UPDATES

9:30 pm

9:30 pm: Even at this point, what happened in Beersheva remains unclear. There are varying numbers of wounded Israelis (7-17?), varying numbers of terrorists (1-2?), varying reports of a getaway car. This will be the final israelstreet update of the evening.

8:30 pm

8:30 pm: More on Beersheva attack: one Israeli has died, two more in surgery at this moment. Second terrorist found inside bus station shot and critically wounded–citizens at bus station block paramedics from trying to take terrorist to ambulance. Terrorists apparently stabbed soldiers and took their guns and began firing.

8:00 pm

7:45 pm: There has been a major Palestinian terror attack at the central bus station in Beersheva. Two terrorists armed with knives and guns have wounded 7 Israelis–1 gravely, 2 critically, and 4 moderately. One terrorist shot and killed; the other terrorist is on the run with the police and IDF in pursuit.

1:00 pm

It has been “a quiet, peaceful” morning in Israel. Here’s a small sampling of the “serenity” that has graced Judea and Samaria:

–at 7:22 am, Palestinian terrorists assaulted Israeli motorists near Karnei Shomron.

–at 8:56 am, Palestinians rioted in Qalandiya and hit Israeli security personnel with “rocks”, Molotovs, and other projectiles.

–at 9:03 am, Palestinians rioted in Mt. Hebron and hit Israeli security personnel with “rocks”, Molotovs, and other projectiles.

–at 11:34 am, Palestinian terrorists attacked Israeli motorists in Hebron.

–at 11:37 am, Palestinians attacked IDF soldiers at the Zeit Intersection in Hebron.

–at 11:51 am, Palestinians rioted in Tulkarm and hit Israeli security personnel with “rocks”, Molotovs, and other projectiles.

–at 11:57 am, Palestinians, Israeli leftists, and international lawbreakers rioted in Nabi Saleh and hit Israeli security personnel with “rocks”, Molotovs, and other projectiles.

–at . . . well, you get the idea. . .it has been another violent morning here in Israel.

8:00 am

***Palestinian terror grows even bloodier. 

Yesterday, Shabbat saw 5 stabbing attacks. Fortunately, no Israeli sustained worse than “moderate” wounds. Fortunately, all five Palestinian terrorists were killed.

Moreover, aside from these stabbing attacks, there were more than 50 terror incidents–primarily in Judea and Samaria. Israelis crashed off of roads after being hit by “rocks”, were attacked with IEDs, and were assaulted with Molotov firebombs. Between 8 pm and midnight, Palestinian rioters attacked Israeli security personnel at Aotzrin, Al Fawwar, Qalandiya, Azzun, Hebron Hills, Beit Ummar, Karni Shomron, Issawiya, and Ras al-Amud, and Funduq.

Since midnight, the muezzins in mosques in Hebron have been exhorting the faithful to go kill “Jews”–both civilians and soldiers. The Pharmacy Checkpoint has been hit by more than 30 Molotovs in the last 8 hours.

***The stabbing attacks yesterday were notable because . . .

–three of the incidents occurred in Hebron. In one of these a terrorist attempted to stab a religious man on his way to morning prayers–never dreaming that the religious man was armed. In another, a female terrorist attacked a female Border Guard who repelled and shot her.

–in Qalandiya, the terrorist was initially shot and disarmed, but not killed. However, as an attempt was made to ascertain his condition, he pulled out another knife and began stabbing again. This time he was killed by a Border Guard.

***Most of the stabbers yesterday were in the 16-18 age group. Far from being “lone wolves” as described by Israeli TV commentators, these terrorists were part of a huge tightly knit social network which encourages attacks by describing how to kill Jews and by glorifying death.

Numerous videos complete with amateur actors and actresses describe in great detail how to “stab a Jew to death”–from organizing an ambush to identifying specific points on the body to stab. Of course, the videos and postings tout the fact that if a Muslim dies in the course of an attack, he or she immediately becomes a martyr–and his or her family will receive a lifetime salary from the PLO.

***Seven Israeli stabbing victims remain in hospitals in the Jerusalem area.

The two in the most critical condition are:

—the unnamed 13 year old from Pisgat Ze’ev who was re-sedated yesterday and is still in a life threatening situation.

—the Border Guard who was wounded at the Damascus Gate two days ago. He is in the ICU at Hadassah Mt. Scopus.

They need your prayers.

***Your humble servant had to laugh yesterday at the crude attempts of international community to castigate Israel and Israelis for defending ourselves.

—In the United Nations, we had the Security Council considering a proposal that would call for “an international force” on the Temple Mount–either in the form of “peacekeepers” or “observers”. Either way, such a force would be a gross violation of Israeli sovereignty, and it was immediate rejected by the government.

—The International Red Cross had the audacity to condemn Israel for planning to destroy 27 homes of terrorists. Such demolitions, according to the Red Cross, are “gross violations of human rights.” What about the human rights of Israelis?  Apparently, there are none.

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And, oh by the way, what about the 15,000 homes that the Egyptians have just destroyed along their border with Gaza? Or the innumerable homes razed in Syria?  Or the hundreds obliterated by American drone strikes in Afghanistan? Apparently, those homes don’t matter to the “humanitarian” Red Cross.

TODAY’S BLOG:

In case you missed them yesterday, your humble servant offers President Obama’s remarks on Friday at his White House press conference with South Korean President Geun Hye Park.

There were only two questions about Israel, but they bear repeating here today for what they say about the mindset of the American president. The following is taken from the official White House transcript:

—————

Unnamed reporter:

“On Israel, we heard Secretary Kerry say that one of the roots of what’s going on there now is frustration over settlement activity. Do you feel like that is a root cause of the violence? And do you feel like President Abbas has a responsibility to condemn attacks and try to stop them?”

Obama: 

“With respect to Israel, obviously we’re very concerned about the outbreak of violence that initially is centered on Jerusalem, but we always are concerned about the spread of violence elsewhere.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms violence directed against innocent people, and believe that Israel has a right to maintain basic law and order, and protect its citizens from knife attacks and violence on the streets.

We also believe that it’s important for both Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israeli elected officials and President Abbas and other people in positions of power to try to tamp down rhetoric that may feed violence or anger or misunderstanding, and try to get all people in Israel and in the West Bank to recognize that this kind of random violence isn’t going to result in anything other than more hardship and more insecurity.

And I don’t think that it’s — I don’t think we can wait for all the issues that exist between Israelis and Palestinians to be settled in order for us to try to tamp down the violence right now. I think my views are well known that, over time, the only way that Israel is going to be truly secure and the only way that the Palestinians are going to be able to meet the aspirations of their people is if there are two states living side by side in peace and security.

Those talks, which Secretary Kerry put enormous effort in, and before that, a number of our envoys and Secretary Clinton put enormous effort in, have stalled. And I think it’s going to be up to the parties — and we stand ready to assist — to see if they can restart a more constructive relationship. But in the meantime, right now, everybody needs to focus on making sure that innocent people aren’t being killed.”

Israelstreet Commentary:

Note how what begins as a strong defense of the Israeli right of self-defense quickly devolves into mush.

Suddenly, Obama says that both Netanyahu and Abbas have to tamp down the rhetoric. Of course, the only rhetoric coming out of Netanyahu’s mouth has been endless calls for Abbas to stop incitement; whereas the only pieces of rhetoric coming out of Abbas’ mouth are constant motivations for Palestinians to kill Jews and false accusations about “executions”, etc.

Then Obama refers to “random violence.” But the violence is anything but “random”–it is specifically Palestinian violence targeting Jews and Israel.

Finally, notice that Obama did not answer the question.

—————

Unnamed reporter:

“So just to be completely clear, do you agree with Secretary Kerry on the role of settlements leading to the violence, or—”

Obama: 

“I don’t think that’s what Secretary Kerry said. I think what Secretary Kerry said was, is that we have to end the violence; that Israel has a right to prevent its citizens from being subjected to random violence; that all parties have to lower the rhetoric; that the religious sites that are so important to three of the world’s major religions inside of Jerusalem need to be respected; and that the status quo that allowed shared worship in and around these spaces needed to be maintained.

Israelstreet Commentary:

What kool-aid is Obama drinking? That comment about “massive settlement” was exactly what Kerry said.

And, as we all know, there is no status quo on the Temple Mount. Jewish rights have been systematically reduced over the last ten years. Shared worship? There is no Jewish worship permitted on the Mount.

—————

In sum, how would you answer this multiple choice question?

President Obama’s comments at the press conference:

A. Were an eloquent defense of Israel’s right of self-defense

B. Were an evasive defense of Secretary of State John Kerry

C. Show Obama’s fundamental misunderstanding or intentional, malevolent manipulation of the situation

D. Were a malicious attempt to direct blame away from Mahmoud Abbas and what the Palestinians are doing

E. All of the above.

F. Answers B, C, and D

I think you know what your humble servant’s answer choice is, but I leave it to you, dear reader, to answer the question–or form your own answer–and email it to your humble servant.