A7News: Stabbing victim was attacked after leaving Old City synagogue

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Friday, May. 31 '19, כ"ו באייר תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. STABBING VICTIM WAS ATTACKED AFTER LEAVING OLD CITY SYNAGOGUE
2. WATCH: TERRORIST ATTACKS ISRAELIS IN OLD CITY, IS ELIMINATED
3. 'TERRORIST WAS SHOOTING AT ME AS KIDS PLAYED NEARBY'
4. POLL: RIGHT-WING BLOC GAINS SEATS, LABOR DISAPPEARS FROM KNESSET
5. STABBING ATTACK IN JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY
6. NETANYAHU'S LAST-MINUTE COMPROMISE REJECTED
7. KNESSET DISSOLVED, ISRAEL GOING TO ELECTIONS
8. NAZI SALUTES ON THE PLANE


1. STABBING VICTIM WAS ATTACKED AFTER LEAVING OLD CITY SYNAGOGUE
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263967

One of the victims in Friday morning's terror attack in the Old City of Jerusalem has been identified as a 16-year-old boy, who was attacked as he made his way from morning prayers at a local synagogue back to his yeshiva.

"On his way back from the Hurva synagogue to the yeshiva, someone jumped him from one of the courtyards," the victim's father told Reshet Bet.

"The ridiculous thing is that at the beginning, the police told him to 'Get out of here', they didn't understand that he was wounded. He walked to the synagogue to call for help."

The victim had been learning overnight at his yeshiva, then went to the Hurva synagogue for morning prayers.

"At first he didn't realize that he had been stabbed by a knife," his father continued, "he thought he had been punched in the back. His brother was with him, and they started to run towards the Hurva synagogue, and there they called for help."

During the terror attack another victim, estimated to be about 50 years of age, was also stabbed, leaving him in critical condition. He was evacuated to Shaare Zedek Medical Center. He has been admitted to the hospital's intensive care ward, and is unconscious and on assisted breathing.

Authorities say the terrorist entered the Old City at around 6:20 a.m. via Damascus Gate, stabbed his first victim on a side street, then fled the scene. As he ran, the terrorist spotted his second victim, stabbing him before being shot to death by Israeli police officers.

"Police units that responded at the scene saw the attacker with a knife. The attacker was shot and killed by police units," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

The terrorist has been identified as a 19-year-old Palestinian Authority resident.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263967


2. WATCH: TERRORIST ATTACKS ISRAELIS IN OLD CITY, IS ELIMINATED
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263975

Police released footage Friday afternoon taken during the terror attack in the Old City of Jerusalem Friday morning which left two Jews wounded, one seriously, the other moderately.

The terrorist, a 19-year-old Palestinian Authority resident, stabbed and wounded 50-year-old Gavriel Lavi at around 6:30 Friday morning, leaving Lavi seriously wounded. The terrorist then fled on foot, before attacking 16-year-old Yisrael Meir Nachumberg.

As the terrorist chased another young man, police officers opened fire on the terrorist, killing him on the spot.


3. 'TERRORIST WAS SHOOTING AT ME AS KIDS PLAYED NEARBY'
by Sara Rubenstein

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263970

Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, the rabbi who was injured in a terrorist attack at the Chabad of Poway in San Diego last month, gave a moving speech at a gala event for the Ateret Cohanim organization (an Israeli NPO which encourages a Jewish presence in the Old City and East Jerusalem) in New York on Thursday.

"What happened 30 days ago allows me to have an incredible understanding of what happens on a day to basis by those who live every day at Ateret Cohanim (in the Muslim Quarter) and their incredible sacrifice they go through every day. For me it was a matter of seconds that I faced a terrorist eye to eye. As his bullets came flying towards me I thought about my brothers and sisters in Israel, in Jerusalem, who live under very similar conditions on a daily basis."

"There's a special Torah haftorah (Torah portion) that we read on the last day of Passover [the day the terrorist incident occurred] which has a verse, 'Thank you G-d for being angry with me,' but right afterward is the verse, 'Here is the G-d of my salvation. I'll trust and I won't be afraid, for the strength and praise of God is my salvation" (Isaiah 12:2). G-d may be angry at us but we immediately remember that He is with us. I was preparing to read that haftorah when I saw the terrorist in the lobby."

"I turned around and saw the horrific sight of a terrorist standing in the lobby of our synagogue barely ten feet away from me. He looks at me and lifts up his rifle. I hear children playing right behind me and as I turn around to gather the children he took aim and that's when he shot my fingers. I was able to able to usher the children to safety and I came back not knowing where the shooter went."

"I found the synagogue's sanctuary empty and someone performing CPR on Lori [Lori Gilbert Kaye, the woman killed in the attack]. I went out and found all the synagogue members on the sidewalk. I grabbed a chair and stood up and said, 'In every generation, they [the Jews' enemies] try to destroy us' [part of the Haggadah text said at the Passover seder]. This is nothing new. It's been happening in every generation but let's not forget [the second part of the verse], 'And G-d saves us from their hands.'"

"I saw the fear and shock on everyone's faces. My moment was to give them: 'G-d saves us from their hands.' That what happens to us in 2019 is a continuation but we cannot forget that G-d saves us from their hands. Later, I found out the amount of miracles that occurred one after the other. An army veteran who prayed with us got up to run toward the shooter but until today he cannot explain how a chair went flying towards the shooter. No one came forward to say that they threw the chair."

"The shooter came with enough bullets to G-d forbid kill every single one of us but he didn't know how to change the cartridges. He succeeded with only one. My own life was spared as I felt bullets fly past me. I can still feel the force of the rifle coming toward me. A millimeter in any direction would have been fatal but G-d did not want that to happen."

Rabbi Goldstein described how a day later he received a surprise call from the President of the United States Donald Trump. Trump asked him, "What can we do to change this, to stop it?"

"The only thing that came to mind was an initiative that the Rebbe [Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubatchiver Rebbe], introduced when Ronald Reagan was shot," Rabbi Goldstein said. "He wanted to introduce the concept of a moment of silence in the public schools. He felt we needed to introduce the concept of a moment of Godliness into American homes. The president showed a great interest in that and the conversation continued for over 15 minutes."

Rabbi Goldstein said that he told Trump that he would love to meet him in person and a day later he got a call inviting him to the Rose Garden for a National Day of Prayer. Avi Berkowitz, chief of staff for Jared Kushner, invited him into the White House where he met Trump walking down the hall. Rabbi Goldstein accounts that after a brief conversation, Trump said, 'I like you. Why don't you come into the Oval Office."

"Trump brings me in, shows me around and asks me to sit down. I told him that I stand in the presence of great people. I looked at his eyes and I said: 'Mr. President, I want you to know that you're an agent of G-d, you are a messenger from G-d into this Oval Office for all that you have done for Israel and for all that you continue to do for the Jewish people.'"

"I shared this with you today because we're living in a paradox of time. We're living in the most prosperous time - such advances in technology and medicine like never before - but we're also living in very dark and difficult times. But the darkness is momentary - very quickly G-d pushed that away and showed us such light that until today I'm overwhelmed by the kindness that G-d showed us. G-d sent me into a mission that I never knew I signed up for. To not only survive a shooting but how to survive a shooting. How do you stand up in front of a world and inspire them and teach them that when there's a tragedy, we don't remain consumed by the tragedy."

"To those in Israel I want you to know that I now feel a connection with you. The empathy of your sacrifices is experienced by myself and my community."


4. POLL: RIGHT-WING BLOC GAINS SEATS, LABOR DISAPPEARS FROM KNESSET
by David Rosenberg

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud party would win if new elections were held today, a new poll shows, with the right-wing bloc gaining seats in comparison to last month's election.

According to the poll, which was conducted by Panels Politics and published Friday morning by Maariv, the Likud would win 37 seats, a gain of two mandates, while the center-left Blue and White party would fall by two seats, from 35 to 33 mandates.

The poll was conducted after the Likud voted to merge with the smaller Kulanu faction, giving the party the fifth, 15th, 29th, and 35th slots on its Knesset slate.

Naftali Bennett's New Right party would win five seats if Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked runs with the party and does not leave it for the Likud. The party narrowly failed to enter the 21st Knesset, missing the threshold by some 1,400 votes.

The United Right – a joint list of the Jewish Home, National Union, and Otzma Yehudit factions – would win six seats, a gain of one mandate.

Former Defense Minister Avidgor Liberman's secular right-wing Yisrael Beytenu party received nine seats in the poll, a four-mandate increase over its present five seats.

The haredi factions dropped a total of one seat, from 16 to 15 mandates, with United Torah Judaism remaining steady at eight seats, and Shas falling from eight to seven.

The libertarian-leaning Zehut party, which received 2.7% in last month's election, again fails to cross the 3.25% electoral threshold, receiving just 1.4% of the vote.

On the left, the Meretz party would gain two mandates, rising to six seats, while the Labor party would for the first time in Israeli history be left out of the Knesset, receiving just 1.9% of the vote.

The two Arab lists would receive a total of nine mandates, down from ten, with Hadash-Ta'al dropping from six to five seats, and the United Arab List-Balad alliance holding steady at four seats.

The right-wing – religious bloc as a whole would win 72 seats, an increase of seven seats from the current 65, while the left-wing – Arab bloc would fall from 55 mandates to 48.

In this scenario, Netanyahu would be able to form a government without Yisrael Beytenu, with 63 seats going to right-wing and haredi parties if Yisrael Beytenu is not included.

The Panels Politics poll also asked respondents how they would vote if Ayelet Shaked left the New Right for the Likud, and New Right chief Naftali Bennett ran on the United Right ticket.

Here the poll found the Likud surging to 41 seats – the most the party has won since 1984.

If Shaked runs with the Likud, the Blue and White party would fall one seat, to 34 mandates, rather than lose two.

Labor would still fail to clear the electoral threshold, with Meretz still winning six seats, and the Arab factions a total of nine.

UTJ would win eight seats, and Shas seven, while Yisrael Beytenu would decline slightly in comparison to the other scenario, winning eight mandates as opposed to nine.

The United Right – New Right alliance would win seven seats, while Zehut would still fail to cross the threshold.

The right-wing – religious bloc would win 71 seats in this scenario, compared to 49 for the left-wing – Arab bloc.


5. STABBING ATTACK IN JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY
by Elad Benari

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263961

A man was very seriously wounded in a stabbing attack on Friday morning in an area in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem.

The man was stabbed in his upper body and Magen David Adom paramedics are making efforts to save his life.

A short time later, reports were received about an 18-year-old who was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack in the vicinity of the Hurva Synagogue.

An initial investigation into the attack revealed that a terrorist arrived at the Damascus Gate, stabbed a man, and then stabbed another man in the Old City.

The attacker was neutralized by police forces.

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263961

Magen David Adom reported that at 6:31 a.m., a report was received of two men who were stabbed, one near Damscus Gate and the other near the Hurva Synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem."

"Magen David Adom paramedics evacuated a man in his 50s in a very serious condition (from the Damascus Gate) to the Shaare Zedek Hospital and treated a lightly wounded victim at the Hurva Synagogue."

"On the steps next to the entrance to the Hurva Synagogue in the center of the Old City," said MDA EMT and Old City resident Yossi Cassouto, "we found an 18 year old victim fully alert and responsive, suffering from a stab wound to his upper body. We provided medical treatment which included stopping the bleeding and evacuated him while continuing to provide treatment to the Mamila Mall outside the Old City with the MDA tractor ambulance where he was transferred to a MICU who evacuated him in mild to moderate condition to Hadassa Ein Karem Hospital."

MDA Senior EMT and Medi-Cycle First Responder Moshe Cordova said: "Near Damascus Gate I found a 40-year-old man, semi-conscious with stab wounds to his upper body. I provided initial life-saving treatment which including bleeding control and he was quickly evacuated by the MICU team to Shaare Zedek Hospital in critical condition."


6. NETANYAHU'S LAST-MINUTE COMPROMISE REJECTED
by Hezki Baruch

The Likud party issued an official announcement Wednesday that it had signed coalition agreements to form a government of 60 MKs.

According to reports, agreements were signed with Shas, United Torah Judaism, the United Right and Kulanu.

However, Minister Kahlon's party was quick to deny. "We did not sign the coalition agreement," the party said in a statement.

The Likud answered: "The agreement with Kahlon is final but will be signed only after Avigdor Liberman joins."

At the same time, Netanyahu turned in what he called a "final proposal" to the haredi parties and Avigdor Liberman to "prevent unnecessary elections in a few hours."

According to the prime minister's proposal, immediately upon the formation of the government, Liberman's original draft law will be presented as written for renewed approval by the Knesset. After its approval, the law will be prepared for a second and third reading under mutual agreement.

The Likud said that "If agreement is not reached by the end of July and in accordance with the Supreme Court decision, the [draft deferral] arrangement will expire and the compulsory service law will apply to everyone. This means that the haredim will have to choose between Liberman's law and a return to the original law, which means full recruitment for haredim, as for all parts of the public."

"The proposal has been submitted to the sides, and we await their answers in the affirmative in order to establish a right-wing government tonight and prevent unnecessary elections."

However, Yisrael Beytenu and the haredi parties refuse to accept the proposal.
Earlier, Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman addressed the crisis in coalition talks .

"There is nothing hidden behind the draft law. There is no problem other than the law. As I have already said - all the inventors of other theories - try us," Liberman said.

"Regarding the trick of removing the heart of the law from primary legislation and changing it into a government decision - this is not cosmetics. It is emptying the law of its content. I think that every reasonable person would accept my proposal, and I think that the haredi MKs, and I know them well, are reasonable people," he said. So I hope they will accept my proposal."

"The haredim are still trying to transfer the recruitment targets and the expiration of the draft law from the original law [whereby these factors were determined in the legislation] to the government's decision," said the Yisrael Beyteinu chairman. "Under no circumstances will we let this happen."


7. KNESSET DISSOLVED, ISRAEL GOING TO ELECTIONS
by Hezki Baruch

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263889

The 21st Knesset has been dissolved, less than a month after it was sworn in. The Knesset approved the Knesset Dispersion Law on Wednesday evening by a majority of 74 to 45.

The elections for the 22nd Knesset will take place on September 17, just six months after the last elections.

Earlier, the haredi parties Degel Hatorah and Shas announced that their spiritual leaders approved the compromise, which states that the Draft Law will be passed in its first reading and that amendments will be made before it is approved in second and third readings. However, the Yisrael Beytenu rejected this compromise proposal as well.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu responded to the approval of the law to dissolve the 21st Knesset, a month after it was sworn in.

"The Israeli public made a clear and unequivocal decision: That I would be prime minister and that the Likud would lead a right-wing government. The public chose me to lead the State of Israel. The various parties that ran for Knesset, many of them said they would support me. 60 out of the 65 mandates granted to the right did what they undertook upon themselves to do. One party did the exact opposite. Avigdor Liberman misled his voters. From the get go, he had no intention of joining the government," said Netanyahu.

"In eight months Avigdor Liberman is dragging the country twice to elections because of personal whims and an attempt to get a few more seats. Simply unbelievable. Avigdor Liberman is now part of the left, he is the heart of the left," Netanyahu continued, blasting the Yisrael Beytenu chairman.

United Torah Judaism chairman, Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, said after the Knesset was dissolved, "The holding of new elections a month after the last elections is contrary to the will of the people and contrary to all common sense. This is political coercion for no real reason, with an awful waste of billions that can go to important things like adding resources to the health care system, education or any other purpose for the good of the public."

"The cynical use of the Draft Law is an outrageous excuse meant to confuse the public with the goal of inciting against the haredi public and making political capital on it. Torah study has always been and will always remain an important value for the people of Israel. Preserving the status of yeshiva students was the basis for our joining every government and every coalition. It is clear to everyone that we will not be able to agree to any law that restricts Torah scholars in Israel," added Litzman.

"All along, we announced that we would not be able to agree to set enlistment targets and quotas for yeshiva students in the Draft Law. We surprised no one and acted honestly and transparently. Those who try to impose on UTJ enlistment goals and quotas in the law, contrary to our belief, contrary to the instructions we received from the Council of Torah Sages - is acting against a right-wing government and is motivated by political motives to topple the prime minister for other reasons. Together with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Likud negotiating team, we left no stone unturned in an attempt to prevent new elections. Unfortunately, Avigdor Liberman rejected every compromise and any attempt at dialogue and agreement. Instead, he embarked on a campaign of vicious and defamatory incitement, against the haredi public and its leaders, while blaming us for things that never happened."

"History will judge the leadership of the State of Israel for an unnecessary and delusional election campaign, while attempting to incite between populations and sectors against the wishes of the majority of the people," Litzman concluded.

Earlier on Wednesday, Liberman addressed the crisis in the coalition talks.

"There is nothing hidden behind the draft law. There is no problem other than the law. As I have already said - all the inventors of other theories - try us," Liberman said.

"Regarding the trick of removing the heart of the law from primary legislation and changing it into a government decision - this is not cosmetics. It is emptying the law of its content. I think that every reasonable person would accept my proposal, and I think that the haredi MKs, and I know them well, are reasonable people," he said. "So I hope they will accept my proposal."

"The haredim are still trying to transfer the recruitment targets and the expiration of the draft law from the original law [whereby these factors were determined in the legislation] to the government's decision," said the Yisrael Beytenu chairman. "Under no circumstances will we let this happen."


8. NAZI SALUTES ON THE PLANE
by Nissan Tzur

A group of 30 drunken passengers began to get rowdy during a Ryanair flight from the Schoenfeld airport in Berlin to Palma de Mallorca in Spain, singing racist songs and making Nazi salutes.

Some of the drunken men wore shirts with captions associated with the Nazi regime.

In a video taken by one of the passengers on the plane, Elisa Zenck, the group of passengers are singing songs against gypsies and making racist slogans that were used by the Nazis. Afterwards, some of them began saluting.
One of the passengers wore a shirt with the slogan "Power through Joy" - a large governmental body for leisure culture in Nazi Germany and a slogan frequently used by the Nazis.

Others wore a shirt with the words "European Brothers" - a national organization established in 2014 which sells clothing with the slogan "To every European who wants to protect his land, tradition and history."

"It was the worst flight ever," said Zenck. "The flight was very tense, and the men also said inappropriate things to the women who were on the plane. When the plane landed in Palma de Mallorca, the other passengers tried to get off the plane as quickly as possible. The crew told us that every summer the planes from Berlin to Palma de Mallorca are full of passengers like this."

"We deeply regret the improper behavior of a small group of passengers on this plane," a Ryanair spokesperson said. "The group stopped singing when asked to do so by our crew."