Yom Rishon
Sunday
17 Elul 5783
September 3 2023
The Video of the Night
Click here to see a 29 second video of two IDF jeeps being ambushed and set on fire by Molotov-throwing Palestinian terrorists in Burka (a Palestinian settlement in Samaria). By watching, you can get an idea of what our troops go through every day and night.
The News on the Israeli Street
The war in Judea, Samaria, and on the Gaza border.
IEDs, “rocks”, Molotovs:
The most egregious attacks occurred when Palestinian terrorists attacked Israeli soldiers at Bir Zeit, Border Guards at Rachel’s Tomb beside Bethlehem, and the security fence on the Gaza border (bomb detonated at one of the “doors”).
The Eritrean riots in south Tel Aviv this weekend . . .
Police lost all control of the Eritrean rioting in south Tel Aviv yesterday.
As we noted yesterday in photo format, intense rioting took place in Tel Aviv over the weekend. The cause was an Eritrean festival that was set to take place marking Eritrean independence. The fighting was initially between Blue and Red Eritreans (see below) but quickly spilled over into outright vandalism and attacks on the police.
There are an estimated 30,000 Eritreans in Israel. This number is an approximation since Eritreans and Sudanese have intermarried and had children in south Tel Aviv where most live (there is another Eritrean community here in Ashdod) .
The “Blue” segment of Eritreans opposes the regime in Eritrea and are supposedly here in Israel because of political persecution; the “Red” group supports the Eritrean government and came to Israel to find better-paying jobs.
After the riots yesterday in which more than 175 people were injured and 20 police wounded, there is much talk this morning about deporting Eritreans back to Eritrea.
With our ultra-leftist Supreme Court, that will never happen.
Those poor Palestinians . . .
The happy groom, Ahmed Tarek al-Nashta, who married Dr. Rim Fetiah from eastern Jerusalem (blurry photo from Tik Tok).
The talk of the entire Middle East this morning is the Palestinian wedding that took place this weekend in Beit Ur a-Hattha, a suburb of Ramallah.
The $2,000,000 wedding put on by Al-Nastha’s father caused many Middle Easterners to wonder why their governments are supporting the Palestinians included:
*50,000 invited guests–including the senior leadership of the PLO with hundreds of security personnel.
*6 extremely popular singers to provide entertainment.
*6 tons of fruit, a ton and a half of meat, tons of side dishes, and a ton of sweets.
*a spectacular fireworks show.
*a complex for children which included attractions.
Yes, those poor Palestinians. Anyone who has driven through any of the bedroom communities that surround Ramallah will attest to the vast number of mansions that adorn the hillsides.
Your average poor Arabs from surrounding countries may have second thoughts about pouring their money into Ramallah and Gaza.
TODAY’S BLOG
The Absurd Battle Over The “Rights” Of Terrorist Prisoners
Yesterday one of the most ludicrous battles in recent memory emerged between Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir on one side, and PM Netanyahu and senior security officials on the other.
It all started with this tweet from Ben Gvir:
According to the law, the Israel Prison System (SHBS) was told that security prisoners would receive a visit once every two months, and not once a month as the SHBS actually operates, and therefore I instructed to comply with the law and allow visits only once every two months. In my shift, terrorists who murdered and harmed Jews will not receive extra terms. That’s what we were chosen for and that’s what we’ll do. Shabbat Shalom.
In short, Ben Gvir ordered that current restrictions be followed: incarcerated terrorists should only be able to receive visits once every two months–not once a month as prison officials had decided on their own.
Then Ben Gvir issued a specific directive to prison officials to:
*Reduce the outside “exercise” time of prisoners
*Increase the number of prisoners per cell
*Decrease the number of television channels available on the television in each cell. Eliminate the sports channels.
*Decrease the number of products available in the prisoner canteen. For example, reduce the number of shampoos from 20 to 1.
*Remove kitchen appliances from cells to stop prisoners from cooking there.
*Stop the practice of mixing Hamas and Fatah (PLO) prisoners in the same cell.
*Restrict the connections between the wings of prisoners to reduce contact between Hamas, PLO, and Islamic Jihad prisoners.
Do any of these changes seem like anything more than just common sense?
They are an attempt by Ben Gvir to turn the prisons into prisons and stop having prison “hotels.”
Well, you would have thought that the world turned upside down.
To begin with, Netanyahu blasted Ben Gvir for his orders and said that nothing had been decided yet. Then everyone on the Israeli “left” blasted Ben Gvir for “violating the prisoners’ human rights.” Then the prisoners themselves announced that they were going on a hunger strike. Then security officials announced that if Ben Gvir’s plan is enacted, we could see increased terror from the Palestinians.
Increased terror from the Palestinians?
Just unbelievable.
Of course Ben Gvir is correct in what he is trying to do–and Netanyahu could not be more wrong.
What has happened to common sense in this country?
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.