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The man suspected of carrying out a shooting terror attack in Jerusalem turned himself over to security forces on Sunday after a search for him carried on through Saturday night, an Israel Police spokesperson said in a statement.
The suspect was taken in for questioning.
At least eight people were wounded – two severely and five mildly and moderately – in a shooting attack targeting a bus near King David’s Tomb near the Western Wall on Saturday.
A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Jerusalem confirmed that US citizens were among the victims of the terrorist attack.
Deeply saddened to confirm that Americans were injured in this attack. I’ve spoken with the families and will keep them in my prayers. Continuing to monitor the situation.
— Ambassador Tom Nides (@USAmbIsrael) August 14, 2022
One of the wounded was a pregnant woman in her 30s who was shot in the stomach and is in serious condition. She underwent surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center during which the baby was delivered in an emergency C-section. The baby was reported to be in serious condition but stable.
According to local media reports, four of the injured belonged to the same family and are part of the Hasidic Satmar sect visiting Israel from Williamsburg, New York.
The shooting came about a week after the launch of Operation Breaking Dawn and amid threats by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist movement to attack Israel if hunger-striking prisoner Khalil Awawdeh is not released.
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A group of bipartisan US lawmakers has called for the United Nations to discontinue the Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza following remarks made by an expert on the panel.
Miloon Kothari, one of the three human rights experts on the UN Human Rights Council’s COI, said last month that he “would go as far as to raise the question of why [Israel is] even a member of the United Nations,” adding: “We are very disheartened by social media that is controlled largely by – whether it is the Jewish lobby or specific NGOs.”
The UN investigator apologized days later for his comments, saying that he was “completely wrong… to describe social media as being controlled largely by the Jewish lobby.”
Sign Our Petition: Help End UN-Backed Hate Campaign Against Israel and the Jewish People
US lawmakers are now urging UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to remove Kothari from his position and take definitive action against antisemitism in the UN.
“These comments should have no place at the United Nations and clearly demonstrate the lack of impartiality and disproportionate focus on Israel by the COI,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter.
Meanwhile, the UN has removed the head of one of its offices serving the Palestinians after she posted a tweet in which she condemned Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s “indiscriminate rocket fire” during the recent Gaza conflict.
She later deleted the post and tweeted an apology the next day, saying that “one of my previous tweets was ill-informed and I have deleted it. I sincerely apologize for my poor judgment…”
The revelation came days after Sarah Muscroft had tweeted her support for the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian terror group after three days of fighting.
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The New York Times on Friday terminated its relationship with a Palestinian freelancer and fixer in the Gaza Strip after HonestReporting had exposed his repeated antisemitism and calls for violence against Jews on social media.
Fixers are hired by news outlets in foreign countries to coordinate logistics or assist with other journalistic tasks, such as working as a translator or a guide.
On Thursday, HonestReporting published a list of social media posts by Fady Hanona, who was a contributor to at least six articles published by the New York Times during the latest flareup of violence in Gaza.
Hanona’s since-deleted social media posts included both support for terror groups and members as well as for killing Jews.
“I don’t accept a Jew, Israeli or Zionist, or anyone else who speaks Hebrew. I’m with killing them wherever they are: children, elderly people, and soldiers,” Hanona said in one post.
“The Jews are sons of the dogs… I am in favor of killing them and burning them like Hitler did. I will be so happy,” he said in another post.
A spokeswoman for the NYT told the Algemeiner news site on Friday that “The New York Times had worked with this freelance reporter only in recent weeks. We are no longer doing so.”
Hanona has also been hired in the past by the BBC, the Guardian, and VICE News, according to HonestReporting.
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Israeli soccer fans found out that their country is not on the list of Middle East countries in a section of the FIFA website providing information about hospitality packages for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar. Israel is not listed in the section for Europe, either.
The list, however, includes “Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
Hospitality packages include accommodations, tickets for a game as well as additional benefits such as access to a reception. Prices run from $950 to $6,700, depending on which round of the contest the game is.
In June, Israel announced that Israeli citizens had been granted permission to visit Qatar for the World Cup, despite the two nations having no formal diplomatic relations.
A joint announcement from the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and culture and sport at the time said that Israeli citizens — who ordinarily can only enter Qatar on a foreign passport — will be able to freely travel and attend games there during the tournament, scheduled to begin on November 21.
Recommended Reading
- Who Speaks for the Arab World About Israel? (Jonathan S. Tobin, Jewish News Syndicate)
- A Revived Deal Will Not Stop Iran From Becoming Nuclear – Editorial (Jerusalem Post)
- Israeli Terror-Fighting Thermal Imaging Tech Being Adapted for Medical Purposes (Nathan Jeffay, Times of Israel)
- Israeli Families of Munich Olympics Massacre Victims to Boycott German Ceremony Marking 50th Anniversary (Jacob Gurvis, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
- ‘Pro-Israel? That’s a Dirty Moniker Where I Come From’ (Erez Linn, Israel Hayom)
Featured Image: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images
