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Abed al-Rahman Hazem, the brother of the terrorist who carried out a deadly attack in a Tel Aviv bar five months ago, reportedly died during clashes between the Israel Defense Forces and Palestinian terror organizations in the West Bank city of Jenin.
According to Palestinian accounts, IDF soldiers had surrounded a house when an explosion hit, and video from the scene showed a blaze at the site. A security source told Israel’s Kan broadcaster that terrorists had attempted to throw an explosive at Israeli troops, but that the device detonated inside the building instead.
Additional footage showed heavy exchanges of fire in the narrow streets of Jenin, dubbed the “Palestinian terror capital” by some observers.
⚠️Initial reports in the palestinian propaganda agencies of a strong explosion in Jenin #WestBank pic.twitter.com/xdr0S5D3Mt
— russia is a terrorist state (@ignis_fatum) September 28, 2022
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced that Israeli forces were operating in the city and that they had eliminated the target of the counterterrorism raid.
Abed al-Rahman Hazem was the brother of Ra’ad Hazem, the Palestinian terrorist who killed three people in an April shooting attack at the Ilka Bar in central Tel Aviv. Ra’ad’s father, Fathi Hazem, and other family members have been on the run since the terror attack. Fathi has frequently made statements inciting violence in videos shared by Palestinian media.
Tensions have been heating up in recent days, with security forces operating on multiple fronts. On Tuesday, police clashed with Palestinian rioters in eastern Jerusalem for the third night in a row. Local media reported that Israeli authorities believe the unrest could continue for weeks, as law enforcement is seeing a rise in incitement surrounding the Temple Mount.
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Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas called Israeli President Isaac Herzog Tuesday evening on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, an official statement said. During their conversation, Abbas reportedly wished all Israelis a happy new year.
For his part, Herzog underscored the need to maintain and promote good relations between Jerusalem and Ramallah and the importance of joint activities “to ensure order and to stop violence and extremist forces.”
“Both leaders expressed their hope that in the coming year civil and security cooperation will be enhanced and peace and security will be restored,” the statement read.
Abbas also spoke to Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who likewise emphasized the need to maintain the presence of the Palestinian security forces in the West Bank to stop terror and violence in the area that has escalated in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) accused the PA of failing to govern certain areas of the West Bank, including Jenin and Nablus. Meanwhile, Abbas’ ruling Fatah party officially announced on September 14 its return to “armed struggle” (i.e. terrorism) against the Jewish state.
According to the Palestinian Media Watch NGO, “the US and European trained Palestinian Authority Security Forces are meant to be fighting terror. In reality, as admitted by Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah Movement, they are actively participating in the very same terror they are meant to be preventing.”
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Israeli security services are investigating an apparent attempt to derail a train in northern Israel during Rosh Hashanah as a terror attack.
Police announced on Monday that an “object” was discovered on the railroad line between the cities of Acre and Karmiel. There was no damage or injury as a result of the incident, which occurred on the holiday when trains were not running.
However, an official from Israel Railways told local media that the obstruction had had the potential to cause a tragedy: “A train that’s traveling at a speed of between 120 to 140 kilometers per hour [75-87 miles per hour] hits an object, it can come off the rails, and the cars can flip over.”
An Arab Israeli suspect was released from custody following interrogation after it was determined he had no connection to the case. The investigation is ongoing, with much of the information placed under a gag order, as authorities are still searching for the culprit.
Israeli security forces are on high alert during the Jewish holiday season, which started with Rosh Hashanah on September 25 and will conclude on October 18 with Simchat Torah.
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As Jewish communities worldwide celebrated Rosh Hashanah on Monday and Tuesday, American Jewish students on multiple college campuses were victims of antisemitic attacks and intimidation.
For instance, near the University of Michigan campus, antisemitic flyers were spread by a white supremacist group, the Goyim Defense League. One pamphlet was titled “Every Single Aspect of the COVID Agenda is Jewish” and listed numerous health officials alleged to be Jewish that have been influential in fighting the pandemic. Another flyer implied that Israel controls the world.
“I am horrified and disgusted to hear that Jewish students at the University of Michigan woke up to find rabidly antisemitic flyers on their porches in Ann Arbor this morning, on the first day of Rosh Hashanah,” Michigan Rep. Shadia Martini tweeted in response.
At American University in Washington DC, a Nazi swastika was graffitied on the ceiling of a bathroom. “I wish the only message I sent today was shanah tovah,” university president Sylvia M. Burwell wrote in an email updating students about the incident.
In another attack at Rutgers University in New Jersey, the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Phi headquarters was vandalized, with eggs thrown at the building.
Recommended Reading
- WATCH: Herzog’s Rosh Hashanah Message to the Jewish People (Israel Hayom)
- New Palestinian Militia, Lions’ Den, Behind Attacks on Soldiers, Settlers (Khaled Abu Toameh, Jerusalem Post)
- Israel Will Not Recognize Results of Russian ‘Referendums’ in Ukrainian Provinces (Jewish News Syndicate)
- Rashida Tlaib’s Absurd Acid Test (Sheldon Kirshner, Times of Israel)
- Tennis Star Djokovic in Israel to Play in Tel Aviv Open (i24NEWS)
Featured Image: Jaafar Ashtiyeh/AFP via Getty Images
