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A rabbi who was among four Jewish congregants taken captive at a Dallas-area synagogue said on Monday that he and others managed to escape after he threw a chair at the hostage-taker and then rushed for an exit door.
The rabbi said he drew on hostage training from the FBI when determining if and when to try to escape.
“When I saw an opportunity where he wasn’t in a good position, I made sure that the two gentlemen who were still with me, that they were ready to go, (and that) the exit wasn’t too far away,” Cytron-Walker said, adding: “I told them to go. I threw a chair at the gunman, and I headed for the door, and all three of us were able to get out without even a shot being fired.”
The 10-hour siege on Saturday ended when the FBI’s hostage rescue team raided Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, west of Dallas, Texas, leading to the death of 44-year-old British national Malik Faisal Akram. It is not clear whether the gunman took his own life or was killed by members of the FBI team.
Police in England says they have detained two teenagers for questioning in connection with the case.
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Israel’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that it had completed a planned flight test of the Arrow 3 anti-missile defense system.
The test, which was performed in central Israel, involved the Arrow 3 missile, which is designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside of the earth’s atmosphere. Two Arrow 3 interceptors were launched toward the target and successfully executed the mission, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“I commend the successful outcome of the recent flight test,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said, adding: “Israel’s defense establishment and industries continue to develop some of the world’s most advanced systems.”
Last year, Israel said it was developing a new ballistic missile shield, the Arrow 4, with the United States.
The Israel Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency have begun the development of the Arrow-4 system, with @ILAerospaceIAI as the prime contractor for development and production 1/2 pic.twitter.com/emLWMjlmI7
— Ministry of Defense (@Israel_MOD) February 18, 2021
Israel’s Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors are already operational as part of a multi-layered system to destroy incoming missiles in the atmosphere and in space.
The Arrow 4 is intended to replace Arrow 2 over the coming decades with significantly upgraded capabilities.
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European diplomats have a “Pavlovian instinct to attack Israel without knowing the facts,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said on Monday in response to criticism of the Israeli government’s move to demolish an Arab-owned business illegally constructed on public property in Jerusalem.
The remarks came after members of the Salhia family in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah/Shimon HaTzadik threatened to burn their home as police destroyed their plant nursery and two storage units, but left their two temporary places of residence intact. The evacuation of the area was authorized by the Jerusalem District Court.
The Jerusalem Municipality plans to build an educational complex on the property, which it says is for Arab residents of the capital and would include a school for special-needs children, six preschool classes, activity halls and sports fields.
A delegation of European officials, led by European Union Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, visited the scene. It is “imperative to deescalate the situation and seek a peaceful resolution. Evictions/demolitions are illegal under international law and significantly undermine the prospects for peace as well as fuel tensions on the ground,” the European Union Representative Office tweeted.
The senior Foreign Ministry official lamented that Europe calls on Israel to help Arabs in eastern Jerusalem – like build schools – and then attacks the Jewish state when it does so.
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A delegation from Indonesia visited Israel recently to discuss ways to deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, despite the fact that the countries have no official diplomatic relations, local media reported on Monday.
Indonesian health officials reportedly met with Israeli officials to discuss the spread of COVID-19, different variants, vaccines and other related information.
The Indonesian government denied the visit.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not confirm the report, noting that the country “believes in international cooperation in every regard to the fight against the coronavirus,” and is willing to share information.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reportedly spoke about normalizing ties with Israel during a visit last month to Jakarta.
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