A7News: US pushed to delay Khan al-Ahmar demolition

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Tuesday, Jun. 18 '19, ט"ו בסיון תשע"ט





HEADLINES:
1. US PUSHED TO DELAY KHAN AL-AHMAR DEMOLITION
2. LABOR MK: NETANYAHU GOVERNMENT IS AFRAID OF TERRORISTS
3. SUSPECTED RAPIST'S ATTORNEY: THIS IS JUST LIKE DREYFUS AFFAIR
4. 'TRUMP'S MIDEAST PEACE PLAN ISN'T A TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT DEAL'
5. ADVERTISE ON ARUTZ SHEVA – REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS WORLDWIDE
6. ISRAEL HONORS TRUMP WITH INAUGURATION OF 'TRUMP HEIGHTS'
7. 'MOTHER OF 7-YEAR-OLD RAPE VICTIM ON VERGE OF TOTAL COLLAPSE'
8. ISRAEL WILL NOT BE INVITED TO US-LED CONFERENCE IN BAHRAIN


1. US PUSHED TO DELAY KHAN AL-AHMAR DEMOLITION
by Hezki Baruch

Likud MK Yoav Kisch on Tuesday morning said he believes United Right's Uri Ariel, who currently serves as Agriculture Minister, will be fired in spite of promises to leave him in his current position in exchange for his party not demanding an additional portfolio.

In an interview with the Knesset Channel, Kisch said, "There is a high chance that [United Right Chairman Rabbi Rafi] Peretz will remain Education Minister in the next Knesset - a higher chance than [former Education Minister Naftali] Bennett had." However, he added,"If the Likud receives 45 seats, the Education Ministry will remain with the Likud."

Kisch himself expects to be appointed Communications Minister "when the position becomes available."

"This process is delayed a bit, until we see what happens with [Public Security Minister Gilad] Erdan, who received an offer to replace [Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny] Danon," he explained.

Regarding the evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar, an illegal Arab settlement built with funds from European governments, Kisch said, "I understood that because of the transition period, the answer was that we want to wait until after the peace plan is presented. There's a lot of sensitivity right now in this area and the Americans asked that we not do anything on the subject until afterwards."

"I think it's still important to explain to them that for us this has enormous and inherent significance. It also sends a problematic message that we're not doing it, so I think it's important that we need to solve this issue with the Americans and advance the solution."

Earlier this week, the State requested that the Supreme Court extend the deadline for evacuating Khan al-Ahmar until December 16. Originally, the State had been required to respond by May 1 to the Regavim Movement's petition that the State fulfill the court's orders to demolish the illegal settlement.

On May 6, the court extended the deadline to June 17, and now the State is requesting an additional six-month extension and claiming that it cannot respond to the petition due to the upcoming elections. If granted the extension would delay the demolition not only until after September's elections, but also until after the Trump administration's "deal of the century" has been presented.

Regavim noted that the Israeli government, despite being a temporary government, continues to make important decisions and has another three months left before elections. In addition, Regavim noted, the demolition was originally slated for no later than June 2018 - a full year ago.

Director of activities at Regavim, Yachin Zik, noted, "Prime Minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu stood up a few months ago and promised that 'Khan al-Ahmar will be evacuated within the coming weeks.' We're not just talking about an illegal building that the State decided is 'strategically important to demolish,' but a test of the Israeli government's willingness to act against the Palestinian Authority's plans to take over open areas in Judea and Samaria."

First built in the 1990s, Khan al-Ahmar is now home to some 180 Bedouin squatters, who seized Israeli state land adjacent to the Israeli town of Kfar Adumim, east of Jerusalem.

Israeli courts have repeatedly upheld demolition orders issued against the illegal community, culminating in the Supreme Court's final rejection of the residents' claims in a ruling last year.

The United Nations, European Union, and International Criminal Court (ICC), on the other hand, have pressured Israel not to evacuate the illegal Bedouin settlement.

Last year, the Supreme Court ordered that Khan al-Ahmar be evacuated and demolished by no later than June 2018.


2. LABOR MK: NETANYAHU GOVERNMENT IS AFRAID OF TERRORISTS
by Hezki Baruch

MK Stav Shafir, one of the candidate for Labor party head, rejected the criticism of women's organizations and female Knesset members who failed to respond to the brutal rape of a 7-year-old girl.

On Sunday, Mahmoud Nazmi Abed Alhamid Katusa, a 46-year-old Palestinian Authority (PA) Arab, was indicted for kidnapping and raping a seven-year-old Israeli girl he met during his work at an Israeli school. At least two of the terror-rapist's friends were also present during the rape, covering the victim's eyes and holding her limbs to prevent her from moving, while laughing at her and saying she "deserves it."

"The rape of a 7-year-old girl is a shocking, horrifying, and terrifying event," Shafir told Arutz Sheva. "I haven't been able to get this story out of my head, the entire day, and I assume that the same goes for every person in Israel. The pain the family is experiencing is indescribable. There's no place for turning this issue into an argument."

Do you see this rape as a nationalistic incident?

"It's the rape of a seven-year-old girl which cannot be described in words. To try to turn it into a topic for arguments between the Right and Left and try to find which of your enemies is guilty is simply ugly. We're all Israelis, Zionists, and we're all against terror, and we're all shocked because we're all people."

What price should the rapist pay?

"We need to fight terror as much as we can. Not to be afraid of terrorists or terror, and to create a strategy which will give Israeli citizens true security. The current government is afraid and is acting without a security strategy."

The death sentence?

"As far as I know, the death sentence is legal and the army chooses not to use it. I would prefer that politicians not make populist statements, but instead do their work. Right now we have a government with no security strategy and the one protecting our security is our strong army. The army does this in an excellent fashion and it doesn't need statements from right-wing politicians right now."


3. SUSPECTED RAPIST'S ATTORNEY: THIS IS JUST LIKE DREYFUS AFFAIR
by Arutz Sheva Staff

The attorney representing an Arab worker accused of abducting and raping a seven-year-old girl from a haredi school has denied the charges against his client, claiming that 'shocking' revelations would soon turn the case "on its head".

Nashaf Darwish, an Israeli-Arab attorney representing Mahmoud Nazmi Abed Alhamid Katusa, told Channel 12 Tuesday morning that while he had not yet spoke with the accused, he believes that Katusa had been accused without a proper basis of evidence.

"After having looked into the details of the case, I can tell you that this is like the 'Dreyfus Affair', and the case will be turned on its head."

"I can say with certainty that people are going to be shocked by the results that will be coming in the next few days."

Katusa, a 46-year-old resident of the Palestinian Authority-controlled town of Deir Qaddis, next to the haredi city of Modiin Illit, was indicted Sunday of abducting and raping a seven-year-old Israeli girl from the school in a haredi city where he worked as a janitor and maintenance man.

In a separate interview with Army Radio – Galey Tzahal, Darwish acknowledged that he had not yet met Katusa, but had spoken with him over the phone, and said he was living a "normal lifestyle".

"While I haven't met him yet, I have spoken with him and with his family. I saw the indictment; there's no question regarding the seriousness of the accusations as they appear in the indictment. If they're true, it is a very serious incident."

Katusa "leads a normal lifestyle, and this case hit him and his family like an earthquake. He worked there for years, with no complaints like this ever. On the one hand you a normal person like this, on the other you see this shocking story – something isn't right here."

According to Walla!, Darwish accused the IDF prosecutor of mishandling the case.

"Dreyfus affair – I looked into the evidence and this [case] really looks like that."

"In a little while the whole thing will be flipped, and the indictment won't be against Mahmoud, but against the army prosecutor and against the army court because of the way in which the case was handled. It is scandalous."

An IDF court is expected to hold a hearing Wednesday on the prosecution's request that Katusa be held in jail until the end of his trial.


4. 'TRUMP'S MIDEAST PEACE PLAN ISN'T A TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT DEAL'
by Arutz Sheva Staff

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264739

White House special envoy Jason Greenblatt lamented the Palestinian Authority's decision to boycott next week's economic summit – dubbed a "workshop" – in Bahrain, saying the much-anticipated US peace plan was not limited to the economic provisions set to be released at the workshop, but include a full package to address political issues as well.

Speaking with i24News, Greenblatt said the PA's decision to boycott the workshop in Bahrain led the US to decline to invite Israel, saying the presence of one side would make the event appear "political".

"Without the Palestinian Authority there, having the Israeli government there makes it more political," Greenblatt told i24News.

Greenblatt went on to say the PA's decision not to attend was a "huge missed opportunity", but added that the event would continue nevertheless, focusing on attracting investors and looking for donors to build up the PA economy.

"This is not just an economic peace. It is not about buying Palestinians off," Greenblatt continued, saying that the second portion of the peace plan would death with the myriad of political issues at the heart of the conflict.

When asked whether the Trump administration would accept significant alterations to the 'Deal of the Century' peace plan framework after its release, Greenblatt said the president would be flexible.

"There is no such thing as a take it or leave it deal."

During the interview, Greenblatt also rejected claims that the Israel-Arab conflict is the 'core' conflict fueling tensions in the Middle East, arguing instead that Iran was the root cause.


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6. ISRAEL HONORS TRUMP WITH INAUGURATION OF 'TRUMP HEIGHTS'
by David Rosenberg

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/264649

The US mission to Israel took part in a special naming ceremony in the Golan Heights Sunday afternoon, marking the formal naming of a new town in the Golan after President Donald Trump.

A sign at the entrance of the future town was unveiled during the ceremony for the yet-to-be built community of Ramat Trump, or Trump Heights.

The Israeli cabinet met Sunday in the Golan town of Kela Alon, near the site of the new community, to formally approve the establishment of Ramat Trump.

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman joined Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and members of his cabinet at the ceremony.

"This is a historic day," Netanyahu said, sitting next to Friedman. "We are about to approve construction of a new town in the Golan, something that hasn't happened in quite a long time...and we'll be honoring a great friend of Israel, President Donald Trump, who recently recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan, the first foreign leader to do so."

Trump Heights sign
Matty Stern/US Embassy Jerusalem
Following Netanyahu's comments at the special cabinet meeting in the Golan, Ambassador Friedman thanked the prime minister for the decision to name a new town after the American president, calling it an "extraordinary gesture that you and the State of Israel are making to the President of the United States."

"It is well-deserved, but much appreciated. We look forward to working with you and with the Government of Israel to continue to strengthen the alliance between the United States and Israel."

Some opposition members, however, criticized the event, calling a hollow "publicity stunt".

Blue and White MK Zvi Hauser, who served as an adviser to Netanyahu in the 1990s, mocked the ceremony, saying the actual construction plan for Ramat Trump lacked any of the details necessary to build the town.

"What does a successful PR campaign look like? Exactly like this. The government will convene a festive meeting in the Golan and announce the establishment of a new community called 'Ramat Trump.' Anyone who reads the fine print in this 'historic decision' will understand that it is nothing more than a non-binding Fake policy. There is no budgeting, no planning, no location for settlement, and there is not really a binding decision to implement the project. But the main thing was that they insisted on deciding on a name for the dummy community."


7. 'MOTHER OF 7-YEAR-OLD RAPE VICTIM ON VERGE OF TOTAL COLLAPSE'
by David Rosenberg

The suspected rapist indicted for the abduction and rape of a seven-year-old Israeli girl in a haredi city used a local family's home he was renovating to carry out the sexual assault.

On Sunday, 46-year-old Mahmoud Nazmi Abed Alhamid Katusa was indicted at the IDF's Ofer prison outside of Jerusalem on charges of aggravated rape.

Katusa is a resident of the Palestinian Authority-controlled town of Deir Qaddis, which is located next to the Israeli city of Modiin Illit.

Katusa, who is suspected of raping a seven-year-old girl after abducting her from her school, had been employed at an elementary school in a haredi city in the Modi'in area. Katusa worked in the school as a janitor and maintenance man, while also moonlighting as a construction worker.

According to the indictment filed against him, Katusa was arrested on May 1st, following a lengthy police investigation into accusations by a seven-year-old student.

Investigators say Katusa met the girl at the school, and befriended her, talking with her and giving her candies.

Once he had gained her confidence, Katusa asked the girl to leave school with him and go to a nearby house. When the girl objected, Katusa carried her off, throwing her on the ground to pacify her.

Katusa took the girl to a home near the school, where several other Arab workers were present.

"I'm going to do something fun for you," Katusa told the girl.

Aided by at least two other Arab workers present in the home at the time, Katusa removed the girl's clothes, then raped her. The other Arab workers held the girl's arms and legs, and covered her eyes, while she cried and asked to go home.

Haim Bleicher, the attorney representing the girl's family, later said that the two accomplices mocked the girl during the rape, saying she "deserved it".

Two days later, when the girl returned to her school, she told her teacher what had happened, and identified Katusa as the perpetrator. "That's him," she said, pointing him out to her teacher.

On May 1st, police arrested Katusa for the rape, while the investigation into the incident continued.

While investigators were able to gain important information from the victim, they were unable to ascertain where the rape had taken place.

Days after Katusa's arrest, a resident of the city in question appeared at the local police station, inquiring as to why Katusa had been taken into custody.

When officers asked why the local man was interested in Katusa's arrest, the man responded by saying that Katusa, who also works in construction, had been working on renovating his home.

Police later found that the home being renovated matched the victim's description of the location where the rape took place.

While Katusa is in custody and under indictment, his accomplices remain at large and are likely still employed in the town where the rape occurred, an attorney involved in the case told Kikar Hashabbat.

"To my understanding, these people [the suspected accomplices] are in regular contact, one way or another, with residents of the same city. That's why it is so important that they be caught."

The family, meanwhile, is struggling to help their daughter cope with the traumatic attack, while keeping her identity secret.

Accord to a source close to the family who spoke with Yediot Ahronot, the girl's parents have been "physically" affected by the ordeal.

"It is important to them that no one know about the incident, except for the court. They are very worried ever since the incident went public. It has really affected them physically. They are consulting with their rabbi and trying to help their daughter and rehabilitate her."

"The parents are in a terrible situation, they really cannot deal with this incident. The mother is on the verge of total collapse."


8. ISRAEL WILL NOT BE INVITED TO US-LED CONFERENCE IN BAHRAIN
by Arutz Sheva Staff

The White House has decided not to invite Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon or other Israeli government representatives to a conference in Bahrain on June 25, when the economic part of US President Donald Trump's peace plan will be presented, Channel 13 News reported.

Senior administration officials said that inviting Israel could harm the conference's purpose. "During the economic conference in Bahrain, we will present our economic vision for the Palestinian people and therefore we want to focus on the economic aspect and not on the political aspect."

The White House has reportedly updated the Prime Minister's Office about its decision. Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly accepted the decision, as he does not feel compelled to take part in the conference.