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A Palestinian assailant stabbed an Israeli on a bus in Jerusalem’s Ramot neighborhood on Tuesday before being neutralized by an armed passerby, police said. Suspected terrorist Ismail Nimer, from the Ramallah region in the West Bank, knifed a 41-year-old man with a screwdriver, moderately injuring him.
Shaare Zedek Medical Center announced that the victim suffered several stab wounds to his upper body, but his condition has since stabilized.
As the attack occurred, the bus driver stopped by the side of the road, allowing passengers to escape.
An armed civilian shot Nimer before security forces arrived on the scene. “I got out of the car, loaded my gun, and realized it was a terror attack. The stabber came to me; I did not hesitate and fired one bullet at him. I heard him praying in Arabic,” Meshi Ben Ami said.
Paramedics evacuated the terrorist, who was in critical condition. According to Israeli authorities, he had a valid work permit and no prior security-related offenses.
Hamas issued a statement praising Nimer’s actions. Gaza’s terrorist rulers called the attack a “natural response against Israel’s crimes in Jerusalem” and proof of the failure of efforts to eliminate Palestinian “resistance.” Prime Minister Yair Lapid tweeted: “We will not allow terrorism to raise its head and disrupt our daily routine. We will get to anyone who tries to harm innocent civilians.”
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The Israeli Air Force targeted a position belonging to the Hamas terror group in the northern part of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday in response to gunfire that had been directed at a civilian community near the border fence, the military announced.
“Earlier today (Tuesday), a bullet was found in the community of Netiv HaAsara. After an inquiry, it was found that the bullet hit an industrial building earlier today after being fired from the Gaza Strip,” the IDF statement read, adding: “In response, IAF fighter jets are currently striking a military post belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the northern Gaza Strip.”
Residents of Netiv HaAsara, which is located right next to the barrier separating Israel from the Palestinian coastal enclave, said they found several shells near greenhouses in their community. There were no injuries reported in the incident.
The Defense Ministry said that “the terror organization Hamas bears responsibility for everything that happens within the Gaza Strip and from it toward the State of Israel and it will bear the consequences.”
On Saturday, Gaza-based terrorist groups launched four rockets into Israeli territory, prompting the IDF to strike multiple targets.
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Following Vladimir Putin’s visit to Tehran, an official Twitter account linked to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Tuesday lauded the Russian president for his “recent stances against the Zionists [Israel].”
Iran had rolled out the red carpet for Putin at Mehrabad International Airport, where Oil Minister Javad Owji greeted him warmly. On Putin’s second trip abroad since Moscow invaded Ukraine, he met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, winning the Islamic Republic’s support for Russia’s war against its western neighbor.
After the Putin-Raisi meeting, Supreme Leader Khamenei claimed that the West opposes an “independent and strong” Russia. “Iran & Russia’s long-term cooperation is greatly, deeply beneficial to both countries. You, Mr. Putin, and our President are people who take action & follow up on it,” Khamenei tweeted, concluding: Thus, cooperation between the two countries should reach a peak in this period.”
For his part, Putin stated that Iranian-Russian relations “are developing at a good pace,” adding that Moscow and Tehran will “strengthen their cooperation on international security and contribute significantly to the Syrian settlement.”
In a separate gathering in the Iranian capital, Putin spoke with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about the conflict in Syria and an UN-backed proposal to resume exports of Ukrainian grain to ease the global food crisis.
The world’s new Axis of Evil: Now that it’s more obvious than ever that Putin and Iran are collaborating in making the world a more dangerous place, the media needs to wake the world up and not let evil win. pic.twitter.com/69TGaAPTuk
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 19, 2022
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Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Tuesday flew over the Karish gas rig that has been threatened and attacked by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group. Israel’s premier called on Lebanon to recognize that it could benefit from its natural gas reserves through negotiations with the Jewish state.
“Israel’s gas reserves have the potential to contribute to resolving the global energy crisis. Lebanon can also benefit from the development of its economic water reservoirs, through negotiations, which must be completed soon,” Lapid stated.
The Karish gas field is at the heart of simmering tensions between Israel and Lebanon, which stem from a 2010 dispute over 330 square miles of the Mediterranean Sea that lie along the boundary between the two countries. Israel considers this area part of the northernmost boundary of its territorial waters, while Lebanon claims it to be part of its southernmost boundary.
Earlier this month, the Israel Defense Forces downed three drones launched by Hezbollah toward the gas rig. The UAVs were found to have been unarmed and are believed to have been a part of a propaganda exercise by the terrorist group.
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Two weeks after he welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron met on Wednesday with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to speak about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
During a lunch at the Elysee Palace, the French president discussed with Abbas “the possible ways for a resumption of negotiations with a view to achieving a just and lasting peace” in the Middle East, said the presidency. The two leaders also discussed the food crisis caused by Russia’s assault on Ukraine, which “particularly affects the countries of the Middle East.”
Macron and Abbas spoke on the phone earlier in June, with the former expressing his “concern” at the “deterioration of the situation” in the West Bank and Gaza as the peace process with Israel has been stalled since 2014.
During Lapid’s July 5 visit, Macron stressed that he believes there is “no alternative to a resumption of political dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinians.” He also expressed his willingness to contribute to the resumption of the peace process, even “to mobilize the international community in its favor.”
Recommended Reading
- Israel Must Say ‘No’ to Tom Friedman – Opinion (Martin Oliner, Jerusalem Post)
- Is Iran Committing Crimes Against Humanity? On Organ Harvesting and Selling Babies for Parts (Catherine Perez-Shakdam, Times of Israel)
- Following Rumors That Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Is Ill, Palestinians Continue to Call For Establishing Arrangement for Transfer of Power to New President (S. Schneidmann, MEMRI)
- Hezbollah Believes Israel Can Be Bullied Over Disputed Gas Rig (Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira, Jewish News Syndicate)
- El Al Mulls Launching Direct Flights to Tokyo and Melbourne (Michal Raz-Chaimovitz, Globes)
