A7News: Tragedy strikes terror-stricken family

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Sunday, Mar. 31 '19, כ"ד באדר ב תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. TRAGEDY STRIKES TERROR-STRICKEN FAMILY
2. TWO CHILDREN INFILTRATE ISRAEL, ARMED WITH A KNIFE
3. NEW TOOL FOR DISPERSING RIOTS: 'THE ROAR'
4. 'RESIDENTS OF THE SOUTH CANNOT BE HOSTAGES TO ELECTIONS'
5. WATCH: NORTHERN STREAMS FLOW BRISKLY EN ROUTE TO KINNERET
6. RARE DISCOVERY IN THE CITY OF DAVID
7. IDF ATTACKS HAMAS TARGETS IN GAZA
8. NZ MUSLIM LEADER: MOSSAD COMMENTS 'DON'T REPRESENT' OUR VIEWS


1. TRAGEDY STRIKES TERROR-STRICKEN FAMILY
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Shlomi Mark, the eldest son of Rabbi Mickey Mark, was killed in a road accident near the Kiryat Gat interchange on Highway 6.

The accident occurred when the motorcycle Mark was riding on collided with a guardrail. He was initially treated by Magen David Adom paramedics and evacuated in critical condition to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, where he was pronounced dead. He was 29.

Shlomi worked in the Prime Minister's Office, and the accident occurred while he was on his way to work.

His father, Rabbi Mickey Mark, was murdered in a terrorist shooting attack on Route 60 south of Hevron in 2016. His mother was seriously wounded in the attack.

Following the terror attack, Shlomi acted as the backbone of the family, supporting his mother and younger siblings.

He leaves behind a wife, Yiska - whose father was also murdered in a terror attack - and three children. The couple lived together in the Judea community of Otniel.

The Mark family stated: We are forced to announce the death of our husband, son and dear brother David Shlomo (Shlomi), son of Rabbi Michael Mark, following a terrible road accident on his way to work at the Prime Minister's Office."

"The funeral will take place tomorrow, Monday, at the Har Hamenuhot cemetery in Jerusalem."


2. TWO CHILDREN INFILTRATE ISRAEL, ARMED WITH A KNIFE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/261138

On Saturday morning, IDF troops apprehended two children near the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. The children were carrying a knife.

Following an initial inquiry by IDF troops in the field, the children explained that they had intended to infiltrate into Israel with a knife so that they would be apprehended and sent to prison.

IDF troops gave the children water and then returned them to Gaza through the Erez Crossing.

Last year, Hamas sent a seven-year-old girl into Israel, to face the IDF forces stationed along the border fence with Gaza.

The IDF confirmed that the suspected terrorist was a young girl, engaged her, and ensured that she returned safely to her parents.

IDF soldier speaks with Gazan children sent into Israel with a knife IDF spokesperson



3. NEW TOOL FOR DISPERSING RIOTS: 'THE ROAR'
by Yehonatan Gottlieb

The IDF used a new system, the "Sha'aga" ("Roar") to disperse the violent demonstrations that took place at the Gaza Strip border over the weekend in which tens of thousands of Arabs participated.

Journalist Amir Buchbut reported that the "Sha'aga" is a non-lethal riot dispersal system based on radio waves that was developed in Israel.

The soldiers who used the system during the violent demonstrations said that it was very effective.

On Saturday, the so-called "Million Man March" took place in Gaza to mark the first anniversary of the so-called "March of the Return."

Over 40,000 Arabs participated in the demonstrations. Rioters threw explosives and stones at IDF soldiers. Three terrorists were killed by IDF fire, and hundreds were injured, a number of them seriously.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/261171


4. 'RESIDENTS OF THE SOUTH CANNOT BE HOSTAGES TO ELECTIONS'
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Education Minister Naftali Bennett slammed Prime Minister Netanyahu following the cancellation of the cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday.

"The cancellation of the Security Cabinet is the abandonment of the residents of the south for politics," said Bennett. "When missiles fall on the south, the residents of the south and protecting them against rockets can not be hostages to an election campaign."

He said that "Netanyahu avoided the cabinet meeting because he knows that just as in the operation to destroy the tunnels during Operation Protective Edge, I will oppose a shameful deal with Hamas and lead a creative plan to deal decisively with Hamas."

The announcement of the cancellation came hours after news that Minister Naftali Bennett had requested Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit pressure Prime Minister Netanyahu to immediately convene the cabinet to discuss the security situation in the south.

In his letter to the attorney general, Bennett noted central events in the current escalation, including the launching of rockets into Gush Dan, the direct hit on a home in the town of Mishmeret, the barrage of fire on southern communities, and the demonstration yesterday in the Gaza Strip.

"In the course of all these incidents, the state of Israel only acted in a selective way that does not create the deterrence required in the face of Hamas activity intended to harm the security of Israeli citizens," Bennett wrote.

"It is inconceivable to be that the management of such security events is carried out solely by the prime minister and defense establishment without the input of the ministers of the Political-Security Cabinet, who bare the responsibility under the law to manage such matter


5. WATCH: NORTHERN STREAMS FLOW BRISKLY EN ROUTE TO KINNERET
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/261169


6. RARE DISCOVERY IN THE CITY OF DAVID
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/261165

A rare and exciting discovery: A bulla (seal impression) and a 2,600-year-old stamp bearing Hebrew names were uncovered in the City of David. The artifacts were discovered inside a public building that was destroyed during the destruction of the First Temple and were uncovered in archaeological excavations of the Givati Parking Lot in the City of David National Park in Jerusalem. The dig was conducted by archeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority and Tel Aviv University.

According to Prof. Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Yiftah Shalev of the Israel Antiquities Authority who were responsible for the dig, these special artifacts were found inside a large public building, that was destroyed in the sixth century BCE - likely during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Large stone debris, burnt wooden beams and numerous charred pottery shards were discovered in the building, all indications that they had survived an immense fire. The importance of this building can be discerned, among other things, from its size, the finely cut ashlar stones from which it was built and the quality of the architectural elements found in the layers of destruction - for example, remnants of a polished plaster floor, which had collapsed and caved into the floor below.

The stamp and bulla, which are about one centimeter in size, were deciphered by Dr. Anat Mendel-Geberovich of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Center for the Study of Ancient Jerusalem, who, according to the script, dates them to the middle of the seventh century to the beginning of the sixth century BCE.

The seal impression, dated to the First Temple period, features the words: "(belonging) to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King" (LeNathan-Melech Eved HaMelech). The name Nathan-Melech appears once in the Bible, in the second book of Kings 23:11, where he is described as an official in the court of King Josiah, who took part in the religious reform that the king was implementing: "And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entrance of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech the officer, which was in the precincts; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire."

The title "Servant of the King" (Eved HaMelech) is appears often in the Bible to describe a high-ranking official close to the king. This title appears on other stamps and seal impressions that were found in the past. This seal impression is the first archaeological evidence of the name Biblical Nathan-Melech.

Dr. Mendel-Geberovich notes that the fact that this official was mentioned by his first name alone indicates that he was known to all, and there was no need to add his family lineage.

According to Mendel-Geberovich, "Although it is not possible to determine with complete certainty that the Nathan-Melech who is mentioned in the Bible was in fact the owner of the stamp, it is impossible to ignore some of the details that link them together."

Bullae were small pieces of clay impressed by personal seals, used in ancient times to sign letters. While the parchment that they sealed didn't survive the fires that devastated ancient Jerusalem, the bullae, which are made of ceramic-like material, were preserved, leaving evidence of the correspondence and those behind them.

stamp of Ikar son of Matanyahu (Eliyahu Yanai, City of David)

A stamp-seal was also in discovered the same place, made of bluish agate stone, engraved with the name - "(belonging) to Ikar son of Matanyahu" (LeIkar Ben Matanyahu). According to Dr. Mendel-Geberovich, "The name Matanyahu appears both in the Bible and on additional stamps and bullae already unearthed. However, this is the first reference to the name "Ikar," which was unknown until today." She believes that despite the literal meaning of Ikar which is farmer, it most likely refers to a private individual with that name as opposed to a description of his occupation. It is still unclear who this person was. Private stamps were used to sign documents, and were often set in signet rings carried by their owners. In ancient times these stamps noted the identity, lineage and status of their owners.

According to Prof. Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Yiftah Shalev of the Israel Antiquities Authority, "Since many of the well-known bullae and stamps have not come from organized archaeological excavations but rather from the antiquities market, the discovery of these two artifacts in a clear archaeological context that can be dated is very exciting. They join the bullae and stamps bearing names written in ancient Hebrew script, which were discovered in the various excavations that have been conducted in the City of David until today. These artifacts attest to the highly developed system of administration in the Kingdom of Judah and add considerable information to our understanding of the economic status of Jerusalem and its administrative system during the First Temple period, as well as personal information about the king's closest officials and administrators who lived and worked in the city."

Moreover, "The discovery of a public building such as this, on the western slope of the City of David, provides a lot of information about the city's structure during this period and the size of its administrative area." The destruction of this building in the fire, apparently during the Babylonian conquest of the city in 586 BCE, strengthens our understanding of the intensity of the destruction in the city."

Both of these artifacts will be presented in full in the Israel Exploration Journal, the archaeological journal published by the Israel Exploration Society.

The dig (Kobi Har'eti, City of David)


7. IDF ATTACKS HAMAS TARGETS IN GAZA
by Elad Benari

IDF tanks targeted a number of Hamas military posts in the Gaza Strip overnight Saturday.

The attack was in response for several launches that were identified from the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory earlier.

Earlier, five rockets were fired by terrorists from Gaza into Israel. The rockets exploded in open areas in the Eshkol Regional Council.

There were no injuries or damages. A siren was activated in the area and residents reported hearing explosions.

Earlier on Saturday night, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke about the new Israel-Hamas agreement expected to be signed within the coming days.

In a video published on his Facebook page, Netanyahu said, "Now, after Shabbat, I told our forces to remain in place. We don't know if this calm will continue, and we are ready for every development.

"This is how we manage things: We use force when necessary, and we avoid, if possible, unnecessary wars," he added.



8. NZ MUSLIM LEADER: MOSSAD COMMENTS 'DON'T REPRESENT' OUR VIEWS
by Henry Benjamin, JTA

A Muslim community leader in New Zealand dismissed claims by the head of the country's biggest mosque that Israel's Mossad intelligence agency was behind the killing of 50 Muslims at two Christchurch mosques.

Mustafa Farouk, president of the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand, referred in his statement Thursday to remarks made on March 23 by Ahmed Bhamji, chairman of the Mt Roskill Masjid E Umar mosque.

"Recent comments by an individual do not represent the views of the Muslims of New Zealand," Farouk said.

The killings on March 15 were perpetrated by a 28-year-old gunman from Australia described in media reports as a white supremacist.

On March 23, Bhamji said during a sermon: "I stand here and I say I have a very very strong suspicion that there's some group behind him and I am not afraid to say I feel Mossad is behind this."

Bhamji continued: "And not only them. There are some business houses, also, who are around … you know, Zionist business houses that are behind him."