Reuters

The Hamas-affiliated Ar-Risala website reported Wednesday that captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has decided to fast during Ramadan.

The report comes as talks have stalled between Hamas and Israel over the possible exchange of hundreds of prisoners for Shalit, who was captured in a 2006 raid.

The report seemed to be intended to increase pressure on the Israeli government, whose prime minister has faced criticism over his perceived failure to prioritize reaching a deal with Hamas.

“A popular proverb goes that if one lives in a community for more 40 days, he becomes one of them. This seems to have come true in the Gaza Strip,” the report in Ar-Risala said.

After years in Gaza, Shalit has become “embarrassed to ask for food during Ramadan despite the fact that his captors do not deny him that right,” the report, in Arabic, continued.

Shalit thinks the government “lost interest,” it said, and he “abandoned Jewish traditions to mimic Muslims after the good treatment he received from his captors, even while they are fasting.”

The Israeli government, added Ar-Risala, is too busy with the demonstrations and protests in Tel Aviv, and so Shalit could not hear recently on Israel’s Channel 1 TV station any news about him.

The report claims Shalit noticed the protests against housing problems became too big, and that caused him “depression and disappointment. He lost hope of any prisoner swap deal that can secure his freedom.”

He seems to be saying, “Shalit wants to topple the regime,” the report claimed.

Notice how Hamas can’t even lie in a believable way. On one hand, Shalit is fasting due to embarrassment with eating in front of his Muslim captors. On the other hand, he wants to mimic Muslims in appreciation of the supposedly good treatment he’s received at the hands of his captors, especially when compared to the shabby treatment he has received at the hands of the Israeli government.

Can they at least make their minds up?

I propose that if Hamas truly believes Shalit wants to “topple the regime”, they should release him and allow him to try.

Strike smuggling tunnels and/or terrorist infrastructure.

AP

In Response to Mortar Fire Causing Injuries to IDF Soldiers, IAF Targets Smuggling Tunnels, Weapons Manufacturing Site and Terror Tunnel in Gaza Strip

The Israel Air Force struck a weapons manufacturing site in the central Gaza Strip, two weapons-smuggling tunnels and a terror tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip overnight.

The attack is in response to the mortar shells that were fired at Israel, hitting the Eshkol Regional Council communities, during the past 24 hours, causing light injuries to two IDF soldiers.

More than 115 rockets and mortars have been fired at Israeli territory since the beginning of 2010, and over 420 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel since the end of operation Cast Lead.

The IDF remains committed to protecting the citizens of Israel and will continue to act against terror. The IDF holds Hamas solely responsible for terror emanating from the Gaza Strip.

Interestingly enough, the palestinian Ma’an news has not (yet) reported it.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

5:04PM: Who’d have thought the IDF Band would one day play music from Fiddler on the Roof in Red, Square, Moscow.

4:54PM: Question: What do Kermit the Frog and Tel Aviv have in common?

Answer: They are both green.

4:36PM: Here is some fun for the whole family: the opportunity to help name the new Canadian ship to Gaza (hat tip: Blazing Catfur).

Well, the old spoil-sports took down all of our pithy suggestions for the dinghy that Ali Mallah, our old friend Kevin “the Liar” Neish and rabble.ca.’s Kim Elliott want to send to Gaza. The new list is all committee approved before it gets to their website and hasn’t grown since we had our fun with them.

But..they are using a twitter application called backtype that allows them to keep track every time their site is mentioned. So if you have a twitter account just suggest a name and add this URL (http://canadaboatgaza.org/cms/sites/cbg/en/suggest-name.aspx)  to the tweet, and they’ll get to see your idea.

I’ve already contributed The Sea Hitler and The Mavi Masturbaters to what I’m sure will be an amusing new selection.

2:18PM: Good riddance.

Amin al-Hindi, a planner of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and one of the founders of the Palestinian security services, died at a hospital in the Jordanian capital of Amman on Tuesday at the age of 70.

Ata Khairy, the Palestinian envoy to Jordan, said al-Hindi died of cancer of the liver and pancreas.

Khairy says al-Hindi slipped into a coma after he underwent surgery in Jordan last week.

I wonder how long it will be before we hear the accusations that Israel killed him.

1:00PM: Interview on the Israeli woman Facebook fiasco. Note the “objectivity” of the interviewer.

12:35PM: Quote of the day:

“I won’t play in films that come out against the State, and there have been quite a few of those recently.”

- Famous Israeli actor Chaim Topol (Tevye from Fiddle on the Roof)

12:18PM: The PA is accusing us of staging the Turkish embassy standoff!

According to the PA, the attack on the Turkish embassy is a stunt carried out by the Israeli security mechanisms. “We are certain that the depth of the connection between the Palestinian people and the Turkish people is deeper and stronger than an absurd action planned by the Shin Bet and carried out by a known collaborator.”

Good peace partners are so hard to find.

11:30AM: Park51, the self-called “official Twitter account” of the Ground Zero mosque project, has caused a small outcry by slamming Ha’aretz on Twitter (after the latter incorrectly reported that plans for the controversial Islamic prayer center were being abandoned) as follows:

On a side note, if Haaretz likes publishing fables, perhaps they could go back to the Yiddish ones with parables #welikethosebetter

After some called this tweet “anti-semitic,” Park51 removed it from its Twitter page, although the permalink is obviously still available. They also issued an apology and then tried to explain it away:

No I meant Haaretz and I meant it as a joke as my cousin’s mother used to tell us Yiddish stories as kids (she’s Jewish)

Ahh yes, some of my best cousins’ mothers are Jewish….

7:36AM: Introducing another of our latest weapons: The Flying Capacitor of Death.^TM

What they don’t yet know is it can also travel in time.

7:22AM: Hamas explained.

7:18AM: IDF soldiers explain their abuse of palestinians during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

7:16AM: Introducing our latest weapon: Zionist Turnstile of Death.^TM

A 10-month old child sustained a hand fracture and bruising on Monday after his arm got caught in a checkpoint turnstile as it continued to rotate, the infant’s mother said.

Shirin Qasrawi told Ma’an her son Mu’min was taken to the Al-Maqaseed Hospital in East Jerusalem for treatment after he tried to cross the 300 checkpoint, also known as the Rachel’s Tomb checkpoint, between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The family was en route from Halhul in Hebron for prayer at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

The child sustained bruises and cuts to the face after repeatedly slamming into the iron bars, Qasrawi said. “As I attempted to get the baby out of the carousel, he was crying and his hand was fractured. The soldiers saw the carousel rotating with the baby inside, but they waited until he fainted and fell to the ground,” she added.

An Israeli ambulance arrived at the checkpoint and transferred the child to hospital for treatment.

Notice our interesting tactic: don’t help the baby until he really needs the hospital, and then transfer him to there at our expense. It’s so illogical, it’s brilliant!

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AP

A court investigating the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Wednesday requested evidence from the leader of the Hezbollah militant group after he claimed Israel was involved in the murder.

“I can assure those who bring this information that it will be thoroughly assessed,” chief prosecutor Daniel Bellemare said in a statement, also noting that his office is investigating the murder “in a neutral and objective way.”

Hezbollah on Monday displayed what it said was Israeli surveillance footage of routes used by Hariri, saying this pointed to Israel carrying out the 2005 attack on his motorcade.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who had said he expected the tribunal to indict members of his own group over the assassination, said the investigators should consider whether Israel killed Hariri.

The prosecutor at the UN tribunal said it had asked Lebanese authorities to provide all information in Nasrallah’s possession, including the purported surveillance footage.

Hezbollah on Monday showed what it said was video of routes frequently travelled by Hariri, which it said had been intercepted from Israeli surveillance aircraft.

“I invite anyone who has relevant information to submit it to my office. Indeed, I welcome any information that can bring us closer to the truth,” Bellemare said.

The tribunal, which opened in March 2009, has yet to indict anyone.

Bellemare’s office also asked Nasrallah to “use his authority to facilitate its investigation”. Nasrallah has said in past he would not accept accusations by the tribunal against any Hezbollah member.

Correct me if I’m wrong but it looks to me like a UN tribunal has requested assistance from a known terrorist leader.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

8:22PM: The big news in the states is that a suspected serial killer has been arrested.

And he’s Israeli, according to the mainstream media. Even Israeli sites such as Ha’aretz, Ynet and JPost have been trumpeting the same thing.

But now his name has been published: Elias Abuelazam.

And my immediate thought is “That is not a Jewish name. In fact, it’s distinctly Arab.”

A quick Google search later and I find this:

The manager and regular customers of a party store where the suspected Flint serial killer worked said he was a quiet guy who sometimes joked around.

Abdullah Farah, manager of Kingwater Market on Coldwater Road and Detroit Street in Beecher, said the man arrested this morning worked for him from July 5 to Aug. 1 and was originally from Israel.

And this comment:

There’s no way this guy is Jewish. Think about it for a moment: do you really think a man named Abdullah Farah is going to hire a Jew? Most Arab party store owners in this area are Palestinian, and I guarantee the suspect will turn out to be Palestinian as well.

Is it my imagination, or is the media going out of its way to hide his Arab or palestinian origin and out of its way to make him out to be Israeli?

5:45PM: Michael Totten on Nasrallah’s claim that Israel assassinated Hariri:

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is now officially blaming Israel for assassinating former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri  in downtown Beirut on Valentine’s Day in 2005. I doubt he will convince many people.

I’ve been working in Lebanon on and off for years, and I’ve never once met a single person who thought Israel murdered Hariri. Not even the Hezbollah officials I spoke to before they blacklisted me thought so. Once in a while I met a Hezbollah supporter who said he didn’t know who killed Hariri and silently left open the possibility that Israel might have done it, but that’s the furthest even any of them were willing to go.

Hariri was one of the least anti-Israel Arab leaders on earth. His vision for Lebanon was one of peace and prosperity, not terrorism and war. Jerusalem had no reason at all to want him out of the picture. The Syrian- and Iranian-led Resistance Bloc, on the other hand, needed him out of the way, dead, or at least suppressed.

Almost everyone in Lebanon assumed from the very beginning that the Assad regime in Damascus ordered the hit, which is why Syria’s military occupation was terminated almost at once by a tremendous wave of multi-sectarian wrath. Most people, including me, didn’t entertain the idea for long that Hezbollah might be responsible, not because Hezbollah wouldn’t or couldn’t have done it, but because Syria had the greater of motives.

Speculation is now mounting, however, that the United Nations Special Tribunal for Lebanon is about to name Mustafa Badr al-Din, a senior Hezbollah commander, as the chief suspect. We’ll have to wait and see if that’s actually true, but it will be explosive news if it is. It could easily start another round of sectarian bloodletting, and at the least it will bring Lebanon closer to the boiling point than it already is.

Nasrallah desperately needs to minimize the potential damage as much as he can in advance. Blaming the Jews often works in this part of the world, but this time it might not. His timing could not be worse. It wouldn’t have worked had he tried it five years ago, and that he’s trying it now only makes him look guilty.

5:40PM: I have been debating whether or not to post this next clip because I certainly would not want to unleash the power of Israellycool to help the powers of evil to go viral.

On the other hand, everything about it is so awful that I cannot resist.

“Highlights”:

• 0:20: Hitler imagery and making fun of Jews (it is telling how these moonbats are invariably unable to hide their true feelings)
• 1:11: “Cyborg Al Qaeda from the future snorting blow” (WTF?!)
• 2:45: Use of the Star Wars Kid to make light of the very real attacks on IDF soldiers by Mavi Mamara “activists”
• The general trivialization of violence perpetrated by these “activists”
• The moonbats who produced this video complaining of Israel editing footage, yet the entire video being a cut and splice of unrelated video edited out of context.

Clearly, Israel’s vastly improved PR efforts in getting out video and images from the Mavi Marmara to dispel the propaganda, not to mention the brilliant We Con the World, have driven the haters to these desperate – and poorly conceived and executed – measures.

Meanwhile, I’m getting flashbacks to another terrible moonbat musical effort.

5:02PM: Turkey’s Hurriyet reports on the latest Turkish snub of Israel.

Israeli Ambassador to Turkey Gabby Levy was not invited to the fast-breaking Ramadan dinner, known as iftar, given by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the ambassadors in Ankara on Thursday evening.

“No invitation has been sent to us,” private broadcaster NTV quoted Israeli diplomatic sources as saying. Levy was invited to the traditional iftar last year. The failure to extend an iftar invitation to the Israeli envoy comes in the wake of strained relations between the two countries since the Israeli attack on a Gaza-bound pro-Palestinian flotilla that left nine people dead May 31.

The Turkish prime minister was expected to deliver a speech at the dinner which was to be attended by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and chief EU negotiator Egemen Bağış.

In the meantime, some news reports said the Israeli ambassador would also hold an iftar dinner, but it was not yet clear which ministers he would invite.

In other Turkey-Jerkey news, they’ve set up a commission to carry out their own investigation into Israel’s raid on the Mavi Marmara.

2:56PM: NASA and the Israel Space Agency have signed a statement of intent for future cooperation

2:52PM: Why didn’t I think of this?

Hummus in a squeeze bottle!

Full story here.

12:18PM: Lebanese MP Oqab Saqr has expressed his satisfaction with the UN tribunal investigating Rafik Hariri’s assassination requesting Hizbullah’s “evidence” of Israeli complicity.

MP Oqab Saqr stated Thursday that Special Tribunal for Lebanon General Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare’s request to be provided with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s evidence in former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s assassination is a “highlight” in the investigation.

“The evidence Nasrallah presented should be taken into consideration and given enough time and effort to remove all doubt and ease suspicions,” he told Voice of Lebanon.

Furthermore, he stressed that Bellemare’s request grants the international investigation great credibility and proves that the investigation does not overlook any piece of evidence.

Oh, now he doesn’t have a problem with Hizbullah’s information?

9:44AM: It’s summer in Jerusalem!

9:25AM: Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Ramadan greetings.

Here are only a few examples of Muslim Jewish holiday greetings:

Passover

Sukkot

Yom Kippur

Chanukah

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"Like my angel wings?" (AP photo)

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened a panel investigating the IDF raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla Tuesday for the first time since the members were appointed.

UN spokesman Martin Nesirky did not rule out that the panel might seek to talk to IDF soldiers or officials from either side to seek information or clarification, though Israel has said it would not cooperate with any probe against its soldiers.

Ban met former prime minister of New Zealand, Geoffrey Palmer, outgoing Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Israeli representative Joseph Ciechanover, and Turkish delegate Özdem Sanberk at the UN Headquarters in New York.

In a statement to the press, Ban said the panel was “not designed to determine individual criminal responsibility, but to examine and identify the facts, circumstances and the context of the incident, as well as to recommend ways of avoiding future incidents”.

On Tuesday evening the four panel members are set to hold their first work meeting. Ban stressed that as part of their task, they should “seek the fullest cooperation of the national authorities”.

On Monday Ban denied having made any agreement with Israel stipulating that the panel would refrain from questioning military commanders.

Israel responded firmly to the secretary-general’s denial, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterating that “Israel would not participate in any panel which wants to question IDF soldiers.”

As for me, I am not sure why you need a panel to recommend ways of avoiding future incidents. I would have thought it obvious that refraining from sending a boat full of terrorists past Israel’s navy would be a good place to start.

Updates (Israel time; most recent at top)

6:14PM: Headline of the day: Courtesy of Ynet.

Here’s the accompanying report:

Lebanon’s defense minister on Wednesday lashed out at a US decision to halt aid to his country’s army in the wake of a deadly border clash with Israel, protesting that aid was being made conditional.

“Whoever sets as a condition that the aid should not be used to protect Lebanon’s land, people and borders from the (Israeli) enemy can keep their money,” Defense Minister Elias Murr told a news conference. “Let them keep their money or give it to Israel. We will confront (Israel) with the capabilities we own.”

“We welcome any unconditional offer of aid to the Lebanese army, and if anyone announces they have decided to halt that aid, they are free to make that choice,” he said.

Murr’s bitter comments were in reaction to a US decision to freeze military aid to Lebanon following last week’s clash between Israeli and Lebanese troops that left four dead.

It also came after Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Ghazanfar Roknabadi, said Tehran was ready to help the Lebanese army in a meeting with army chief Jean Kahwaji, according to Iran’s official IRNA agency.

‘We’re counting on our friends’

An advisor to Lebanese President Michel Sleiman has also criticized the US decision but said that support for the army was central to upholding Lebanon’s sovereignty.

“It is time the Lebanese army be adequately armed, and we are counting on the friends of Lebanon to help the army,” Nazem Khoury told AFP.

US Congressman Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Monday he had placed on hold $100 million in aid to Lebanon’s military.

Berman, in a statement, said he could not be sure the Lebanese armed forces were not working with Hezbollah, which Washington lists as a terrorist organization.

5:55PM: Israeli Arab Knesset member Haneen Zoabi – who was on board the infamous Mavi Marmara flotilla ship – claimed that she was not aware that the “activists” were armed.

Israeli Arab Knesset member Haneen Zoabi is a big fat liar.

Video footage proving that MK Haneen Zoabi (Balad) knew that IHH activsts aboard the Mavi Marmara were armed with metal pipes was released by Army Radio on Wednesday.

Zoabi, who was aboard the Gaza-bound ship which was part of a flotilla that aimed to break Israel’s blockade of the coastal territory, had previously claimed that she was not aware that the activists were armed. The members of the Turkish organization subsequently clashed violently with IDF naval commandos.

Zoabi can be seen in one of the video clips standing side by side with IHH members armed with metal pipes while IDF soldiers attempt to take command of the ship’s lower deck. She can later be heard arguing with IDF commanders in an attempt to prevent them from evacuating a seriously injured man. She had previously stated that she helped IDF forces evacuate injured from the ship.

Despite the footage, Zoabi insisted in an interview with Army Radio on Wednesday that she was unaware that the IHH activists were armed. She claimed that she believed the metal pipes the men possessed were standard ship equipment and not weapons to be used against soldiers.

After the release of the new video footage, MK Orit Zuaretz (Kadima) called on Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein on Wednesday to open an in-depth investigation into MK Zoabi’s involvement in the violence perpetrated against IDF naval commandos aboard the Mavi Marmara.

Last month the Knesset  plenum voted 34 to 16 to strip Zoabi of some of her parliamentary privileges, following her participation in the Gaza flotilla.

Zoabi reacted to the ruling by stating that the Knesset was acting undemocratically.

“[The Knesset] has no idea of what democracy is. I represent my views, my party’s views, and the views of all the Arab members of the Knesset.”

The Knesset, she complained, “was supposed to defend my right to express my opinions,” and “protect me from racism which targeted me for my views.” Her views, she said, represent a “global consensus” regarding Israel.

2:15PM: The Israel Prison Service is reportedly buying a new “Dazer Laser” system aimed at controlling disturbances with non-violent weapons.

The supplier, Laser Energetics, hopes the pilot program will be a prelude to widespread use of the lasers in the Israeli police and military.

The non-lethal laser gun can temporarily blind people from a distance as far as a mile and a half. The company’s lasers can also be mounted on revolvers or shotguns and be shot continuously, without reloading, until the target is hit.

The international media’s focus on Israel has exposed the Jewish State to criticism for using stun grenades, rubber bullets, tear gas and sometimes live fire to quell riots and subdue terrorists and criminals. The lethal weapons often wound bystanders, who would be immobilized only temporarily if lasers are used. One side effect of the laser gun is that the targets may feel sick for several hours.
“We are very confident that when they complete their pilot program, the results will speak for themselves, and we’ll be able to roll out the Dazer Laser throughout the entire Israeli military, law enforcement, and corrections establishment,” said Robert D. Battis, founder and chief executive officer of Laser Energetics.

The laser weapons already are in use in several police departments in the United States. One police official in suburban Seattle, Washington said that an advantage of the laser gun is that it requires minimal training and is easy to aim.

Terrorists and criminals will not be able to obtain the laser gun very easily. It is sold only to certified customers, and cannot be used without activating a security code. As an extra precaution, the laser system can be programmed to turn itself off if it ends up in the wrong hands.

Here is the Dazer Laser in action.

[Warning: Contains amateur sales pitch from guy who talks too slow, and graphic scenes of overacting]

12:55PM: IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi has appeared before the Turkel Committee, taking responsibility for the raid but defending the IDF’s actions.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi on Wednesday morning testified before an internal probe into Israel’s deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid convoy, defending the military from politicians’ accusations it botched the operation.

“The commandos exhibited calm, bravery and morality,” Ashkenazi told the inquiry panel, headed by former chief justice Jacob Turkel. Their actions were “proportionate and correct”, he said.

IDF Chief Gabi Ashkenazi testifies before the Turkel Committee probing Israel’s Gaza flotilla raid, August

Ashkenazi said the outcome of the May 31 raid, which left nine pro-Palestinian activists dead, was impossible to predict.

“From the moment the operation began, it was clear that the circumstances were unprecedented,” he said, adding that as commander he took full responsibility for the troops’ actions.

The IDF chief, who is set to step down in February at the end of a four-year term that has seen him increasingly at odds with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, repeated the army’s version of the raid, saying commandos used live ammunition only after they were attacked.

In testimony on Tuesday, Barak heaped blame on the IDF, telling the inquiry that the failure of the operation did not stem from the decision to carry it out but from its planning and implementation by the military.

On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also implied that the IDF, and not politicians, had been responsible for the controversial interception, which drew international condemnation and prompted the United Nations to set up its own inquiry.

In cross-examining Ashkenazi, Turkel asked how it was possible that Israeli intelligence organizations had failed to gain advanced warning of the presence of violent activists from the Turkish Islamist group IHH aboard the ships.

“It seems a little strange, given previous successes in preventing boats reaching Gaza,” Turkel said. “In these situations there were apparently intelligences sources and means of attaining extremely accurate information.”

Askenazi responded: “It’s true, I have already said that we didn’t know enough about the [IHH] organization, and we didn’t investigate it. It was not on our list of priorities like other groups.”

He added: “Turkey is not an enemy state and I hope it never will be. We have military contacts, even despite the current crisis,” referring to the near-collapse of Israel’s diplomatic ties with Ankara following the raid.

10:54AM: Insight into the mind of a “Free Palestine” nut:

But he’s not antisemitic, just anti-Israel.

Meanwhile, here’s our friend’s ruminations on antisemitism and “bankers” ruling the world.

9:52AM: Could anyone please enlighten me as to why this photo is appearing on the wires?

BETHLEHEM - APRIL 18: A peace activist protesting the Israeli army's military operations in the West Bank marches past Israeli soldiers in the West Bank town of Bethlehem 18 April 2002. Two Palestinians were shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers inside the Church of the Nativity compound witnesses said, as talks were set to begin to try to end the two-week siege. Witnesses near the church said a man was shot as he moved from one courtyard to another inside the compound. The man, who has not been identified, was believed to be seriously wounded. (Photo by Musa AL-SHAER/AFP/Getty Images)

I mean, don’t get me wrong. It definitely will appeal to the AFP’s target audience of Israel haters, those more than willing to believe in any demonization of the Jewish state and those who don’t know any better. I’d just have thought that it was slightly – you know – out of date. I guess in the relative absence of current opportunities for demonization, bring up old news.

Also interesting about this photo is the identify of the woman identified as a “peace activist.” It is none other than ISM founder and Free Gaza chair Huwaida Arraf who is a terrorist supporter, not a peace activist.

Regarding the content of her protest sign, read this.

6:56AM: As has been the case in previous years, IDF soldiers have been asked to respect Ramadan.

IDF soldiers in the West Bank have been asked to refrain from eating, drinking and smoking in public, particularly at the security crossings, during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins Wednesday.

Soldiers have been asked to “demonstrate a high level of respect and understanding,” the IDF said, in a statement it released Tuesday.

In advance of the holy month, “Civil Administration representatives met with Palestinian religious authorities and discussed prayer times and upcoming religious events, in addition to informing the population of the accommodations being made,” the IDF said.

West Bank security forces were also updated on Ramadan timetables and traditions.

For Ramadan and the holiday of Id el-Fitr that follows, the IDF extended until midnight the operating hours of both the Jalama and Rehan crossings to Jenin, the Beit Mishpat crossing to Ramallah and the Rachel crossing to Bethlehem.

Palestinian families can visit relatives in Israel during the month and Israeli Arabs can enter Area A.

Some 200 permits were given to visitors from Arab countries to enter Judea and Samaria for humanitarian reasons.

In Jerusalem, Palestinian men over the age of 50 and women over the age of 45 will be able to freely enter the Temple Mount for prayer. Married men between the ages of 45-50 and married women between the ages of 30-45 may also enter the compound.

The Samaria Citizens’ Committee criticized the IDF preparations for Ramadan, saying it regretted that Israel’s army was paying more consideration to Islam than to Judaism.

These measures come as the IDF and the Border Police are arresting rabbis, destroying synagogues and issuing demolition orders against West Bank yeshivot, the committee said in a statement.

“Is the defense minister’s name, Ehud Barak or Ahmed Barak?” it asked.

6:52AM: I likely posted this advertisement for Israeli satellite TV provider Yes earlier in the year, but since I don’t remember, it’s a good excuse to post it now.

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Two Malaysians died and one was severely injured in a ritual designed to help a man overcome his chain-smoking habit and to rid his wife of her asthma and liver diseases.

State news agency Bernama reported that four close relatives smashed the couple’s heads on a table and beat them with crash helmets and brooms as part of a ritual to help them overcome their health problems.

Kuala Lumpur CID chief Ku Chin Wah said the ritual was suggested by the relatives who the couple visited as part of celebrations to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, where they complained of their ill-health.

“Following this, a 23-year-old male relative suggested that the couple undergo a ritual which involved all family members joining forces to beat up the couple to rid them of their ailments,” Ku told reporters on Thursday, according to Bernama.

The 15-year-old daughter of one of the four assailants walked in on the ritual, was severely beaten and was admitted to hospital, Ku said.

On the positive side, they’re not smoking any more.

A Palestinian boy sticks his face through a wooden cutout of a cowboy to have his picture taken at an amusement park on the third day of the festival of Eid-Al-Fitr, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. Muslims are celebrating the three day Eid-Al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan is made to humiliate himself by the brutal Zionist Occupation Forces.

..while palestinians of all ages engage in good, clean fun..

Meanwhile, the palestinians of occupied Ramallah endure horrendous pain in various Zionist torture devices.

Once again, the terrorist was an Arab resident of Israel.

Once again, the terrorist used a vehicle to try and kill and maim as many as possible.

Once again, the terrorist was shot and killed by a quick-thinking Israeli.

At least 19 people were wounded at around 11 P.M. Monday night when a Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem drove his car into a crowd of Israel Defense Forces soldiers at a busy intersection in the capital.

Two of the wounded were in serious condition, four were moderately hurt and the rest were lightly wounded, the Magen David Adom rescue service said.

Most of the wounded were IDF troops on their way to the Western Wall to mark the upcoming Jewish New Year when the attack at the Tzahal intersection, close to the Old City, took place.

Jerusalem Police Commander Ilan Franco said the driver of the black BMW was shot and killed by an IDF officer who was among the crowd targeted in the attack. Franco said the driver was apparently acting alone.

“A man in a vehicle struck a number of people in Tzahal Square,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. “We can confirm it was a terror attack. The man was shot and killed.”

Israeli TV reported that the car was registered to a resident of Jabel Mukaber, an Arab village in East Jerusalem. The vehicle had a yellow Israeli license plate, the Associated Press news agency reported.

A previously unknown group claimed responsibility for the attack, Channel 2 television said.

An Israel Radio reporter on the scene described a large group of mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews chasing an Arab into the Old City after the attack.

The emergency call came into Magen David Adom at 10:55 P.M., but it described the incident as traffic accident. Only when the ambulance arrived did it become clear that it was a terrorist attack.

“I saw the car coming quickly and hit a group of soldiers and students standing there,” an eyewitness said. “It happened very fast. It was impossible to know beforehand that this is what he intended to do.”

—-

Jerusalem police said that though there was no prior intelligence indicating a possible terror attack, the level of alert had been raised in recent days due to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the upcoming Jewish holidays.

Updates (Israel time)

5:50AM: Ynet elaborates that most of the wounded were soldiers who on a ‘Selichot Tour’ in Jerusalem. (Selichot are Jewish penitential prayers said right before/during the High Holidays). So it is interesting to note that a terrorist has used his religious month of Ramadan to perpetrate an attack against Jews during their religious time.

9:07AM: The terrorist has been identified as 19-year-old Kasem Mugrabi, from Jabel Mukaber in east Jerusalem.

9:10AM: A group calling themselves Nisour Al-Jalil has claimed responsibility for the attack (referred to as an “incident” by Ma’an News).

9:35AM: Ha’aretz reports that the family of the terrorist says the incident was actually a traffic accident. Which is amazing, considering they weren’t actually there. Of course, the family of the original bulldozer terrorist already tried this excuse.

11:36AM: According to Ynet, a preliminary police investigation has revealed the terrorist was motivated by unrequited love. The object of his affection was his cousin.

3:40PM: Here’s a picture of the terrorist.

I wonder if his parents were cousins.

6:23PM: Gedalia reports that one of the injured was an Australian citizen, in Israel on the MTA program, and the brother of a Jewish resident of my hometown of Perth.

This is likely the same woman who did the same thing a few weeks ago.

Meanwhile, this is how the “peace-loving” ISM folk have reported the attack.

Israeli army open fire on civilians at Huwarra checkpoint

Israeli soldiers opened fire on civilians at Huwarra checkpoint at 8am on Monday 22nd September.

The gunfire followed an alleged attempt by a Palestinian woman to pour acid on Israeli soldiers, echoing an attack that took place at the checkpoint two weeks ago. There are mixed reports as to whether any soldiers were injured in the attempt, with some eyewitnesses claiming that most of the unknown substance was thrown on the ground, some inadvertantly splashing a nearby Palestinian man.

The young woman reportedly ran into the crowd, who were passing through the checkpoint, and was chased by Israeli soldiers. Soldiers then opened fire on the crowd of innocent civilians, using live ammunition. Four people were reportedly injured by the gunfire, with two requiring hospitalisation.

There’s a great combination of dishonesty and moral bankruptcy right there.

[source]

It’s a little wordy if you ask me.