A7News: UN probe accuses Israel of possible 'crimes against humanity'

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Thursday, Feb. 28 '19, כ"ג באדר תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. UN PROBE ACCUSES ISRAEL OF POSSIBLE 'CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY'
2. WATCH: DRAMATIC RESCUE IN JERUSALEM'S NAHAL ARAZIM
3. ISRAEL REJECTS UN PROBE ON GAZA RIOTS
4. TODAY IS ARELE'S SURGERY...
5. WATCH: FLOODING IN JUDEAN DESERT
6. 'IF WE ATTACK WITH ONE ATOMIC BOMB, INDIA CAN FINISH US WITH 20'
7. 'TRUMP WON'T FORCE MIDEAST PEACE PLAN ON ISRAEL'
8. ANALYSIS: ISRAEL TAKES ON THE WAQF


1. UN PROBE ACCUSES ISRAEL OF POSSIBLE 'CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY'
by AFP and Arutz Sheva Staff

A UN probe said Thursday said that the Israeli response to 2018 Gaza riots "may constitute war crimes."

"Israeli soldiers committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Some of those violations may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity," the chair of the "UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory," Santiago Canton, said in a statement.

The inquiry, set up by the UN Human Rights Council, investigated possible violations from the start of the riots on March 30, 2018 through to December 31.

"More than 6,000 unarmed demonstrators were shot by military snipers, week after week at the protest sites," it said.

"The Commission found reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli snipers shot at journalists, health workers, children and persons with disabilities, knowing they were clearly recognizable as such," it said.

The investigators specified that there were reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli troops killed and injured Arabs "who were neither directly participating in hostilities, nor posing an imminent threat."

The UN team also dismissed claims by Israel that the protests were aimed to conceal acts of terrorism.

"The demonstrations were civilian in nature, with clearly stated political aims," the statement said.

"Despite some acts of significant violence, the Commission found that the demonstrations did not constitute combat or military campaigns."

The commission said it conducted 325 interviews with victims, witnesses and other sources, while reviewing more than 8,000 documents.

Investigators looked at drone footage and other audiovisual material, the commission said.

"The Israeli authorities did not respond to repeated requests by the Commission for information and access to Israel and to the Occupied Palestinian Territory," the report said.



2. WATCH: DRAMATIC RESCUE IN JERUSALEM'S NAHAL ARAZIM
by Mordechai Sones

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259718

Four search and rescue teams, assisted by the special rescue unit of firefighters and rescuers, were called at noon today to rescue two people trapped in by flood in a river that overflowed the Arazim valley.

One man was trapped by the strong current and at some point was swept into the water. He was transferred to the MDA team summoned to the site for further medical examination.

The fire fighters and special fire and rescue unit Jerusalem are conducting searches along the course of the stream to rule out the presence of additional trapped persons.

Meanwhile police blocked Route Begin north of Betar Sport Association near Teddy Stadium following flooding on Route Begin in this section. Police call on drivers to act responsibly, obey police orders, and follow instructions and publications in the media.


3. ISRAEL REJECTS UN PROBE ON GAZA RIOTS
by AFP and Arutz Sheva Staff

Israel rejected the findings of a UN probe released Thursday into its soldiers' response to Gaza riots that began in March last year, calling it "hostile, deceitful and biased."

"Israel rejects the report outright," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement after the probe alleged soldiers may have committed crimes against humanity.

"No institution can negate Israel's right to self-defense and its duty to defend its residents and borders from violent attacks."

Katz said that those "pushing the residents of Gaza to the fences, including women and children, is Hamas, an organization whose declared goal is destroying the state of Israel, and is the one to bear the responsibility."


The probe was carried out by a UN commission of inquiry set up by the world body's Human Rights Council. It investigated possible violations from the start of the riots on March 30, 2018 through to December 31.

Education Minister Naftali Bennett said in response that "It's hard to imagine the UN could sink any lower."

"Alternating between excusing terror and ignoring terror, it is letting down democracies and backing dictators and tyrants."


4. TODAY IS ARELE'S SURGERY...


📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259717
Rabbi YY Jacobson - WATCH: The Story of Arele
The Story About A Young 34 Year Old Man Named Arele
Eleven months ago, Rabbi Aron "Arele" Oster went into Septic Shock, sending his family and the entire Klal Yisroel into shock of our own.
Through endless miracles, he has beat the odds, regaining consciousness, reconnecting with his wife and children and starting on the long road to his new life.
This Thursday, Arele will undergo a lifesaving surgery to amputate both arms below his elbows and both legs below his knees.
Arele is just 34 years old. A father of 2.
He's known as a shining beacon of passionate Torah learning, meticulous Yir'as Shomayim and humble Ahavas Yisroel.
He's a soft-spoken husband, a doting father and a talented Baal Tefilla
Before the events of last Erev Pesach, Arele…
• Devoted hours every Friday to visit Yidden who are not yet observant
• Held numerous chavrusos with people new to Yiddishkeit

• Was a beloved Magid Shiur in the Mesivta in Monsey
• Was an admired teacher of Torah and Chassidus in neighborhood Shtieblach
The doctors gave him a 2% chance, and Boruch Hashem, he beat the odds to survive. After Thursday's 8-hour surgery, Arele will בעזה"י beat the challenges ahead.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR GIVING HIM NEW LIMBS!
NOW, LET'S PUT HIM ON HIS FEET WITH THE TREATMENT, THERAPY, REHAB AND EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH HIS NEW LIFE, INCLUDING RETROFITTING HIS HOME TO BE MOBILITY-FRIENDLY.
Please continue to giving and share the link, and please, please…
Continue to daven for אהרן בן חנה. Your Tefillos work!
DONATE NOW!!


5. WATCH: FLOODING IN JUDEAN DESERT
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259712


6. 'IF WE ATTACK WITH ONE ATOMIC BOMB, INDIA CAN FINISH US WITH 20'
by Mordechai Sones

Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf has said India could "finish us by attacking with 20 (nuclear) bombs" if Pakistan launched even a single nuclear attack on the neighboring country, according to Karachi-based newspaper Dawn.

The former Pakistan President's comment comes over a week after an attack that killed 40 Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama, claimed by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Musharraf also claimed that Israel wanted to establish relations with Pakistan, reports India Today. The All-Pakistan Muslim League (APML) chief, who is leaving in self-exile in the UAE, said he is ready to return to Pakistan once he sees the political environment in his country favorable.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259667

Tensions in the region were highlighted when the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down a Pakistan Air Force's F-16 jet today in Lam valley of Jammu and Kashmir's Nowshera sector, according to Zee News. Three aircraft had violated and crossed into Indian air space in retaliatory fire at the Line of Control.

According to emerging reports, a parachute was seen dropping from the F-16 aircraft which was going down. The condition of the pilot is unknown, reported news agency ANI.

Three jets violated Indian air space and crossed the Line of Control to enter Jammu and Kashmir. Officials said the jets entered Poonch and Nowshera sectors but were repelled by Indian Air Force aircraft patrolling the area.

The aircraft reportedly entered up to two kilometres inside Indian territory but retreated after being intercepted by IAF fighters.

There are also reports from Baluchistan that Iran has deployed jet fighters on the Pakistani border.

Iran, Pakistan, India
iStock
India's Border Security Force soldiers patrol fenced border with Pakistan
Reuters
Rally after Pakistan shot down two Indian military aircrafts, in Peshawar
Reuters



7. 'TRUMP WON'T FORCE MIDEAST PEACE PLAN ON ISRAEL'
by Shimon Cohen

Recent comments by President Donald Trump's son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, this week regarding the upcoming American Middle East peace plan quickly became a hot political topic in Israel, and becoming the focus of the Knesset election campaign now underway.

While many on the Israeli right expressed concern over Kushner's statement that the plan would include provisions "delineating the border", the chairman of the Republican party's Israel branch cautioned against a rush to pre-judge the plan, adding that President Trump would not force Israel into any agreement with the Palestinian Authority.

"I would advise people on the right, and that includes myself, not to panic," said Attorney Marc Zell, a senior member of the Republicans Overseas organization and chief of its Israeli branch.

The Trump administration has refused to release details of its Middle East peace plan, carefully guarding the few copies of the document and limiting the number of people with access to the entire plan to just five in a bid to prevent leaks.

The secrecy surrounding the plan has spawned mass-speculation and false leaks regarding the plan's provisions.

Zell noted that regardless of the plan's contents, Israeli leaders should not be overly concerned with the 'Deal of the Century', as the president has dubbed it, which is expected to be released after Israel's April 9th election.

"The rule by Trump is…Trump and his administration will not force Israel to do something that [Israel] views as being against its security interests. If Israel says, 'No', Washington won't force Jerusalem [to accept it], and that is a very important thing."

But would the mere fact that the Trump administration is putting the proposal on the table not pressure Israel to accept a deal in a way that a more hostile administration, like that of President Obama, would be unable to do?

"I really respect Netanyahu and support him, but when Obama said what he wanted, the Israeli government gave in and accepted the idea of the two-state solution," Zell said, referring to Netanyahu's 2009 Bar-Ilan address in which he formally backed the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state.

On the other hand, Zell continued, "If the Israeli government under Netanyahu or someone else will tell Trump that… it cannot accept the provisions on Jerusalem or the right of return, etc., the US won't force Israel to accept it."


8. ANALYSIS: ISRAEL TAKES ON THE WAQF
by ILTV

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/259639