9 Sivan 5780
1 June 2020
The News on the Israeli Street
The daily Corona update . . .
The Corona figures as of 8:00 am this morning:
17,106 Israelis have tested positive for Corona, and 14,826 of those have recovered. 30 Israelis are on ventilators, and 285 have died.
Which Israeli hospitals are best or worst?
The Health Ministry published a shocking report yesterday that some 5000 Israelis die each year from bacterial infections that they get in hospitals while being treated for something else.
The report listed hospitals according to the likelihood of getting a bacterial infection. In order from best to worst:
1. Soroka Hospital in Beersheva
2. Sheba Hospital at Tel HaShomer
3. Rambam Hospital in Haifa
4. Ichilov in Tel Aviv
5. Sha’are Zedek in Jerusalem
6. Asaf Arofe outside of Rishon
7. Beilinson in Petah Tikva
8. Hadassah Ein Kerem in Jerusalem
It is quite surprising that Hadassah Ein Kerem, one of the best known hospitals in the world, is at the bottom of the list in terms of bacteriological cleanliness. On the other hand, Soroka Hospital in Beersheva which is often demeaningly associated with the Bedouin population in southern Israel, is the cleanest.
Jews return to the Temple Mount . . .
Following a 70 day lockout of all Jews from the Temple Mount because of Corona, a large cohort returned to the Temple Mount this morning:
On the Temple Mount this morning. Note the Kipat HaSela in the background–under which is the holiest place in Judaism, the Foundation Stone on which the Ark of the Covenant once rested.
Bad news from Eilat . . .
The coral reefs in the Red Sea which had been faring quite well compared to reefs around the world because of cold water of the Sea did not fare so well after the huge storm damage that occurred back in March.
According to the Ministry of the Environment which recently tested the corals, anywhere from 25% to 75% of the coral reef off the coast of Eilat was destroyed.
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TODAY’S BLOG
The Rules Of Engagement Grow More Absurd
Your humble servant is struck by an “analysis” opinion piece written by veteran Jerusalem Post writer Yonah Jeremy Bob this morning concerning the incident that occurred two days ago in which a Palestinian from eastern Jerusalem, Iyad Al-Halak, was killed by a Border Policeman.
As we have reported, the situation surrounding the incident is murky–and remains so. However as Bob points out: “. . . initial reports indicate that the border policeman who shot Halak might have acted on incorrect information given to him by Jerusalem police officers. The information reportedly stated that Halak had a weapon and still posed a danger as he fled.”
Nevertheless, Bob reaches this conclusion at the outset of his analysis:
“What is clear is that Halak should not bave died, that he was killed while running away–the opposite of posing an imminent danger–and that this is a recurring phenomenon.”
How Bob reaches a conclusion that a terrorist, or possible terrorist, who is fleeing cannot pose an imminent danger is anyone’s guess, but he goes on to describe the rules of engagement for police and IDF soldiers.
” . . . in the West Bank, Border Police and the IDF have stricter rules of engagement regarding the use of lethal force as compared to the Gaza, Syrian, or Lebanese borders which are viewed as more explosive. On a spectrum, using lethal force would be most limited in east Jerusalem.”
This analysis, while not exactly accurate (we all know the absurd rules of engagement under which IDF soldiers operate down here in southern Israel along the Gaza border) does illustrate the absolute absurdity facing Border Police and the IDF.
In short, there are no uniform rules of engagement; a terrorist on the Lebanese border is supposed to be treated differently from a terrorist in Judea and Samaria who is supposed to be treated differently from a terrorist in Jerusalem.
It is beyond absurd.
Near the end of his piece, Bob writes: “It remains true that shooting an attacker who is coming at you with a weapon and starting to get close enough to be dangerous is legally justified.”
What does this mean? That a sniper or missile cannot take out a terrorist before he is in range to kill a Border Policeman or IDF soldier with a weapon that is in his hands? And what about the weapon itself: at what point is a terrorist carrying an RPG or anti-tank missile “close enough” to warrant getting eliminated?
Bob’s final paragraph reads: “But fleeing is different. As this pattern of problematic cases continues, they may be more pressure on the IDF and Border Police to clarify that if someone is fleeing, lethal force is almost never going to be warranted.”
Just remember two incidents which actually occurred.
If a terrorist with a machete massacres worshipers in a synagogue and is spotted fleeing down the street, should the Police not open fire?
Or a terrorist blows up an armored personnel carrier loaded with IDF troops then flees down a street, should soldiers not open fire?
I leave it to you, dear reader, to answer the questions yourself.
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.