The Palestinian Authority (PA) paid the family of a Palestinian who murdered two Israelis a sum of $42,000. The money was allocated by PA President Mahmoud Abbas to “complete the payment of the price” of the family’s house that was demolished by the IDF in response to the terror attack, according to the PA’s official news agency Wafa.
PA Governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, Leila Ghannam, handed over the money to the relatives of Muhannad al-Halabi during a meeting on Sunday.
On October 3, 2015, al-Halabi, 19, attacked the Benita family near the Lion’s Gate in Jerusalem as they were on their way to the Western Wall to pray. Halabi fatally stabbed Aaron Benita, the father, and injured mother Adele and their two-year-old son Matan. Nehemia Lavi, a Jerusalem resident who heard screams and came to help, was also murdered. Lavi’s gun was taken by the terrorist, who was shot dead by police officers.
Governor Ghannam thanked Abbas for paying “special attention to the families of the martyrs, prisoners and fighters.” She also told the family that Abbas had instructed his security services to help them find permanent housing.
The money transfer to the al-Halabi family was the first high-profile payment to reward terrorism since the Biden Administration took office, and occurred despite Palestinian claims that they are willing to rethink the controversial “Pay-for-Slay” policy as part of an effort to improve relations with Washington.
A tunnel used by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza was discovered under a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The UNRWA-run educational facility was damaged during the 11-day Israel-Hamas conflict that ended on May 21.
UNRWA thereafter found what “appears to be a cavity and a possible tunnel, at the location of the [Israeli] missile strike,” the agency reported. It claimed that there was no “indication of the existence of any entry or exit points for the tunnel within the premises.”
UNRWA condemned both the Palestinians who constructed the tunnel and the IDF, which it accused of causing the damage to the school. Such actions by Gaza-based terrorist groups and the Israeli military violate UNRWA’s “inviolability and neutrality” that must be respected at all times, the organization stated.
UNRWA’s latest statement followed an announcement that its Gaza Director Matthias Schmale had fled the Strip after having received threats. Schmale was declared persona non grata after he gave an interview to Israeli media on May 22, in which he said he did not dispute Israel’s assertion that its airstrikes were “precise.”
The Israeli Air Force’s Adir division sent six F-35 stealth jets to Italy to participate in a two-week drill along with the United States, Royal (UK), and Italian Air Forces.
The fighter planes will conduct exercises simulating various battle conditions in response to future threats. This drill is considered crucial for Israel to learn and collaborate with foreign militaries.
Though the explicit goal is to improve the overall capabilities of the F-35 jet, which entered into service in late 2016, a senior Israeli Air Force officer acknowledged that Falcon Strike 2021 is in part meant to prepare Israeli pilots for possible action against Iranian forces.
Despite the fact that the Israeli Air Force has participated in multinational exercises in the past, Falcon Strike 2021 is the first time that F-35 jets will fly beside fighter planes from three separate countries simultaneously.
Israel on Saturday recorded no new COVID-19 cases for the first time in over a year. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein asserted that if infection rates remain at current levels, the mandate requiring that masks be worn indoors would be lifted on June 15.
The success in lowering the number of positive cases can be credited to the country’s highly successful vaccination drive that has enabled the vast majority of Israeli adults to become fully inoculated. Meanwhile, Israelis over 12 years of age are now eligible to receive the vaccine.
Nevertheless, those entering the country are still required to produce a negative PCR test and then quarantine until a serological test is performed.
There have been four new positive cases from travelers from abroad, bringing the total number of positive cases in Israel to 839,566 since the start of the pandemic.
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