What Makes a Couple of Normal Days in Israel?

 

These are simply a few randomly chosen acts of hate filled violence spread across two days, five stories with three telling of attacks in Israel including one on the Temple Mount from an unexpected source; one story from Wellington, Florida in the United States; and then lastly the reality that Israelis make remarkable recoveries and the situation that was arranged probably from Above that all from the horrific scene and terror attack were together again and shared the joy for one family nearly a year later. All of these stories likely would never even reach the average Israeli, especially if they get all of their news from the standard mainstream media even here in Israel; so we obviously cannot fault the world for not reporting that which is ignored by much of our own media. Partly the blame goes to the fact that one could pick any day or so and find these same examples to choose from a number of other events as these were not by far the sole attacks.

 

There exist stretches of roadways and even secondary highways where those traveling know full well they need to be on guard to look for ambushes where rocks and bricks will be thrown at their vehicle and thus they must prepare to hit the gas and speed to safety on the other end once the rocks stop striking the vehicle and they can return to normal speed, breathe a sigh of relief that they survived the gauntlet once again and bless Hashem for their successful passage and surviving in relative safety only He can provide. The stories of woe are those which catch a motorist by surprise as they did not normally drive this heightened area full of perilous threats along this stretch of road and they mistakenly try to turn and escape and are set upon mercilessly and become sitting ducks stuck on the roadway. Then we have a tragedy which may or may not make the news depending on the news volume that day and maybe the next. This is especially true if there was no loss of life and either they escaped on their own with a valuable lesson learned or they were saved and the lesson imparted and hopefully heeded.

 

The unfortunate reality in Israel is that the daily onslaught has certain levels which have become so commonplace as to be considered acceptable as long as it remains within certain limits. It is as if we in Israel, at least as far as reporting on terrorist events, have adopted what then Senator John Kerry as the Democrat candidate running against George W. Bush for the Presidency where Kerry claimed, “We have to get back to the place we were, where terrorists are not the focus of our lives, but they’re a nuisance.” President Bush criticized Senator Kerry stating, “Just this weekend, Senator Kerry talked of reducing terrorism to, quote – ‘nuisance’ – end quote, and compared it to prostitution and illegal gambling.” We could add to this point, Gentlemen, welcome to our reality, our world.

 

Our first story was related by twenty-six-year-old Yehuda who survived his attack and related his experience as he lie recovering in a hospital. These events occurred Monday morning and took place at the gas station on Highway 443 located northwest of Jerusalem. There exist points of travel along Highway 443 where attacks occur regularly and are usually barrages of rocks upon the passing cars. These attacks usually occur when traffic is lightest and thus the attackers consider themselves safe as they would easily outnumber the occupants of a single vehicle or even two vehicles. This event was different and far more dangerous as Yehuda was stabbed in the back and shoulder while filling up his car at the gas station. Yehuda related his harrowing terrorist assault which easily could have resulted in worse wounds or even have murdered him as, according to the recounting on Army Radio:

“I was on the way to Jerusalem from my home, and he (the terrorist) took advantage of the opportunity when I got out of the car and he stabbed me. He came at me from behind, I felt suddenly that I was stabbed, and I ran, I fled from him. I ran, I fell, and got up and ran again, and again I fell. He of course chased after me, and stabbed me again at every opportunity.” Yehuda recounted how he fled and the reaction of the few onlookers who were probably there to assist the terrorist in making an escape. Yehuda continued, “I shouted ‘help me, help me.’ I ran to my car while still bleeding and just drove off. They watched (a group of Arabs standing and viewing the events from a short distance obviously amused) and chuckled and didn’t come to help. Even after I was stabbed. He just didn’t stop until I managed to escape with the car.”

 

The terrorist was eventually neutralized, according to reports and whatever neutralized may mean. Was he arrested or killed as he continued his attacks possibly turning and attempting to strike the police? While the threat was still looming another almost victim managed to escape injury and took refuge in his vehicle locking the doors and then had the presence of mind to video-record the terrorist attacker lurking outside while brandishing the knife. You can play the Video while below is picture from the video clearly showing the knife in his hand.

 

 

Knife wielding terrorist was outside vehicle at petrol station threatening driver with a knife, circled. Terrorist had already stabbed one motorist multiple times before the victim was able to escape. This is getting to be a daily news event from somewhere, either in Judea or Samaria, often Jerusalem and has even struck in Tel Aviv and the Galilee.

 

 

Our next report concerns a married couple from the southern Mount Hevron area who were attacked Monday morning while out jogging by a large group of Arabs and European anarchists. The presence of European anarchists is not uncommon where there are possibilities that Israelis might actually defend themselves which will provide them with filmed shots of Israeli aggression and the futile attempt by the unfortunate wretch unable to ward off the unprovoked assault by the Israelis. The Europeans shot their film and got nothing to sell to media, usually television and cable news networks who pay handsomely for such films, especially if they have been edited to emphasize the desired line of out of control Israelis and poor defenseless Arabs trying in vain to escape unscathed from the incident. Never mind that this couple was set upon by the mob with rock throwing and beatings with long and sturdy sticks.

 

Miri Madan told news services of their ordeal stating, “We went on a morning jog toward the neighboring community of Maon. Before Maon, I felt bad. It was hot. We wanted to cut toward the main road.” This required the couple take a dirt road that bypasses a small Arab village. Once the couple was spotted by one villager he whistled and others relayed the call and before you knew it there was a small hoard ready to attack. Roughly twenty Arabs escorted by a group of European anarchists who were armed with cameras as the hoard encircled the couple. Miri Madan continued the recounting stating, “They approached us. I wanted to go back but they called an Arab vehicle that threatened us from behind, so that we couldn’t escape from them. We tried to talk to them and to explain that we are just on a morning jog, that we only want to reach the road, that we do not mean to pass through [their village] and that I don’t feel good, but it didn’t help and they continued to threaten us that they’d kill us and slaughter us and threw rocks at us. When we saw that we had nothing to do, we went in the direction of the rocks and luckily we emerged with injuries that are not serious. They did hit us though, and they kept throwing rocks and sticks at us from behind as we emerged.”

 

These types of attacks often are brought upon joggers as well as hikers. The story seldom changes much as it is often around twenty actual attackers setting upon two and rarely even three victims who are blocked from turning back or are set upon so quickly and ferociously that there is not opportunity to flee. Initially the only times Israelis ran into such ambushes was when the attackers were accompanied by Europeans to film the events looking for an Israeli defending themselves which allows them to turn the story around. After a while these attacks became more commonplace with an Arab filming the events with the same goal, getting a video or single pictures depicting Israeli on Arab violence to sell to the media. Now these ambushes occur almost daily somewhere where a gang of Arab youths can catch an unsuspecting Israeli or two and assault them. After the victim has escaped the attackers disperse before the police arrive, the timing of such they have down to a science in order to escape arrest. A report such as this one can be viewed daily on many of the small district news which covers such news events as they have proven so common as to no longer be newsworthy. There will be no reporting live at five with our intrepid a reporter standing with security and possibly IDF soldiers off camera telling of the dangers joggers and hikers face at this specific spot which the assault took place that morning. Now such reports are buried inside deep in the local news section or if there was somebody clinging doggedly to life, it might get bumped to lead the local news or, dare we say it, make it into section A. This couple barely made the news, which is another way of relaying that they will be just fine and survived their ordeal. That only leaves us with questions; Who will be next? Where will the next attack occur? Will it merit coverage? Where can we find actual video? And what made this attack coverable? Most of the answers to the questions will likely be in the negative as they gave no promises.

 

Our next story made the news as it was noteworthy to make a record of an official WAQF officer who assaulted Israeli Border Police and was arrested for his efforts. Here is the video of the events and the arrest of the perpetrator WAQF monitor being subdued. There were apparently a number of people who received a measure of the pepper-spray utilized by the security officers making the arrest. This was a form of man bites dog and the Islamic WAQF officials are assigned to enforce the rule of law for the Jordanian force left in place as an offer of friendship and tolerance which has backfired greatly. I doubt General Moshe Dayan would have done as he did in June of 1967 and permitted Jordan to continue their control over the Temple Mount knowing what that would bring in the future. Perhaps this event could be the perfect time to extradite the members of the WAQF who actually work for the Jordanian leadership as agents of a foreign power who have out-lived their usefulness and Israel will now take over providing security and order to the Temple Mount and assume responsibility for the holy sites upon the Temple Mount. Such a move is long overdue and the time is ripe for such a move. A member of the WAQF acting in such an unholy manner brings down shame on them, the WAQF and the Jordanian who are responsible for all the actions committed by these guardians. Recalling the WAQF to Jordan in order to save face is an offer that should be made and made now in response to this irreconcilable behavior. Access for all peoples and permission for all people of all faiths the freedom to pray as they please thus opening the Temple Mount a place holy to three major faiths and respected by many people of all faiths.

 

The fourth story comes from Wellington, Florida in the United States where we have mentioned a number of times have started to see increasing anti-Semitism. The attacks have mostly been random events of hatred committed by sole individuals but the undercurrent makes it appear to have more interconnectivity. We have suggested that when one has been arrested for an offense against a Jewish target or any hate crime, their computers should be searched and see what such material they have and check their activity logs and any videos linked to in their computers. A warrant should not be overtly difficult if the person has been arrested for actions which raise the suspicions for the basis of hate crimes having been perpetrated. The actions of the person caught on camera leave little doubt as to the hate-filled anger. The question is against whom as the perpetrator in addition to vandalizing Temple Beth Torah also vandalized seventeen vehicles on nearby streets which might tend to make one believe that perhaps the entire criminal action was truly random. Below are the captured video and a news report from Wellington.

 

 

 

Our final story is one of recovery and joy. First though we need go back to October 22 of last year and recall the terror attack on the Jerusalem light rail by a terrorist where he rammed his vehicle through the Givat Hatachmoshet (Ammunition Hill) Light Rail stop injuring eight people and murdering Chaya Zisel Braun who was merely three months old, far too short a life for her. Ziyad Dawiat, a veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, remembered having transported little Chaya Zisel Braun that fateful night. That was then and this is now. Ziyad Dawiat, our intrepid veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, received a call to assist a woman in labor and giving birth at home. He thought nothing about it and headed off to perform whatever duties were required. He had been on a number of such calls and was probably happy for bringing a life into the world which has to be the favorite call they need make as too often they meet people leaving this domain, not entering it. Shmuel Braun met Ziyad Dawiat, our fated veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, and was immediately overcome with excitement and was exuberantly happy at seeing the number twelve Ambulance and began jumping and waving and pointing and repeating “twelve, number twelve” and continued his zealous happy dance.

 

According to Ziyad Dawiat, our fated, bemused veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, described the event, “He was very emotional and I didn’t know why. Meanwhile I could see a woman who was about to give birth. I went into the house and helped her, and after helping her to recover, the story came out.” The Brauns recounted the account of the night of October 22, 2014 and how Ziyad Dawiat, our fated, bemused, astounded veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, had been the one who had attempted to treat initially and transported little Chaya Zisel Braun to the hospital and they thanked him for all he had done then and now. After the retelling, Ziyad Dawiat, our fated, bemused, astounded, at a loss for words, veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, recounted, “After the parents, with great emotion, told me the story, I remembered who they were. Shmuel told me that whenever he sees the number 12, he remembers his daughter, and prays that he will be spared further suffering. I didn’t know how to respond, to congratulate him on his new baby or commiserate with him for his loss.” After transporting mother and her baby daughter to the hospital for a quick routine checkup Ziyad Dawiat, our fated, bemused, astounded, at a loss for words, exhilarated thanking Hashem for completion of a hole now closed making him whole again, veteran Magen David Adom paramedic and ambulance driver, exclaimed, “I never dreamed that I would be able to close a circle in this manner with the Brauns. But it’s a small world. I intend to keep in touch with them.” So the Braun’s now have their new baby daughter. May she bring them much joy and, as it did for Ziyad Dawiat, by now simply our friend and ambulance driving hero, may it close much of the hole and make their family whole again; Baruch Hashem.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Should ISIS Replace Hamas in Gaza; So What?

 

There has been a news story running around loose that ISIS is causing ripples of violence and is intending to replace Hamas as the governing body in Gaza. Should this actually come to pass, what difference it would make has not been explained in the stories I have seen and I am pretty sure I know why, the truth would be too revealing. The other reason this story has had the emphasis given it is so that the world will see such an event as something horrific and of causing a sea of change probably for the worse. This is true only if your name happens to be Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal of Hamas or Ramadan Shalah and Abd Al Aziz Awda of Islamic Jihad and potentially some of the other top echelon commanders such as Hamas Military Commander Muhammad Deif. The terrorist members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been complimented by the lead members of ISIS in Gaza as far back as last summer’s Operation Protective Edge though you would be hard pressed to find many, if any, news stories mentioning such, especially outside of Israel. Even within the Israeli media the subject was barely ever breached for reasons that escape me for their logic. The most news that mentioned Hamas and ISIS in the same breath was those quoting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and a few other Israeli politicians and top security officers in the IDF and Shin Bet who were making the point publically that there was really no discernible difference between Hamas and ISIS despite what the world media cared to report. The actual discernible difference should both Hamas and Islamic Jihad along with the remaining Fatah and Palestinian Authority individuals all be supplanted by ISIS would be that Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal of Hamas as well as Ramadan Shalah and Abd Al Aziz Awda of Islamic Jihad and perhaps some of the secondary commanders who were seen as not sufficiently bold in their efforts against Israel as that would be the level of the majority of the change. I am fairly sure that the topmost leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Fatah, al-Qaeda of Gaza and any other top commanders who have been getting excessively wealthy usurping funds off the top for personal gain, better known as greed, then you have something to fear as such activities are not pure and will deserve punishment by the leaders of ISIS. The top people with the most profit from their positions such as the billionaires of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh and Khaled Mashal who are both worth many billions of dollars, will simply be spending a lot more time at their mansions in Qatar and as time passes less and less time anywhere near Gaza, Mashal has not visited Gaza except for that occasional photo-op just to validate his credentials and to raise morale amongst the troops. The main loss to these leaders is that the gravy train will stop running and they will just have to suffer a serious financial setback and need to spend very carefully such that they do not spend through their billions of dollars too quickly.

 

In Gaza the difference will be minimal until ISIS has attained what they consider a critical mass such that they have the troops and equipment in place and everything ready for their assault on Israel. They will tell their forces that the day when the Zionist entity will pay dearly and no longer be in possession of the stolen Muslim lands and their fellow Muslims who are pure in their practice and intentions will finally celebrate their victory over the much hated enemies of Allah. Needless to point out but if you happen to be an Arab, Muslim or not, resident in Israel and ISIS were to even temporarily for some few hours gain control of your area of residence then you would be best served to be elsewhere during that period as any Israel Arab, especially the Muslims, will be treated according to Quranic texts and their most violent and strictest of interpretations. This means that those who are followers of Islam will have to explain to deaf ears why they had not risen up and destroyed Israel from the inside and were instead living so peaceably with the Jews. After said testimony, which will be interpreted to be more of a confession of guilt, these Muslims will be declared apostate and appropriately murdered, most likely burned alive as has been the lot for the Shia captured by ISIS. The best off will be the Arab Christians who will be permitted to live after paying the Jiyza, the tax especially levied against Christians and other non-Muslims under which their Muslim leadership will protect them until the next payment comes due, but be warned that sooner rather than later you will either not have the funds to pay the Jiyza or will be given the final choice between adopting Islam or death, and conversion will not necessarily save you as your forced conversion may be determined not to have been spiritually uplifting and you would then meet the fate of an apostate, burned alive.

 

After Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the rest of the terrorist forces in Gaza would necessarily come under the control of ISIS the sea change would barely be more noticeable than a ripple added to the surf pounding the coast; simply put it would produce negligible change. The changes would mostly be cosmetic as while the production of rockets would be increased with the rockets being stored for intense use in support of the eventual ISIS assault to eliminate Israel and liberate the stolen lands which they as the next Caliphate should rule over all the lands that were ever under Islamic rule and that includes all of Israel. The reality would likely be very different as ISIS has a much larger and more important foe than Israel which has been under attack for some time using Gaza as a safe haven and supply depot. The other dirty little secret that the news media have not reported about is that ISIS presence in Gaza is mostly to operate as their liaison with Hamas who manage the supplies and provisions so as to have ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula provided with the appropriate weaponry and ammunition for their attacks on Egyptian forces as their intent is to be able to take possession of sufficient amounts, all or the vast majority, of the entirety of the Sinai Peninsula and have successfully pushed all Egyptian forces from the field of battle and be capable of announcing their great victory and spread into the Sinai Peninsula and declared it as a part of the Islamic State being founded by ISIS. Such an accomplishment would necessarily demand an Egyptian counter-offensive to retake control over the entirety of the Sinai Peninsula using solely Egyptian forces so as not to need Israeli assistance of any note as such would arm ISIS with a propaganda battering-ram with which to unseat President Sisi and the Egyptian government and replace such rule over all of Egypt claiming it for the Islamic State’s Caliphate, just another jewel in their turban and another loss for the Arab Muslims desiring peace under which they can continue their lives.

 

Once ISIS has managed to wrest the Sinai Peninsula from Egyptian control, then ISIS would turn their attention on capturing Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt and then annex the remainder of the country setting to purify the Egyptian population by testing the people on their levels of devotion and knowledge of the Quran and Muslim Law, the Sharia. Should ISIS have the capability of defeating the Egyptian military, not only would such a victory be impressive adding greatly to their reputation, it would serve as another reason proving they are in fact and deed the Caliphate they have declared themselves to be and thus would attract even larger numbers of disenfranchised youth from Western nations as well as across the Muslim world. Such a victory would make any plans to defeat ISIS close to impossible, especially utilizing solely the Iranian forces, even were there to be provided airstrikes as required in support of ground operations to defeat ISIS or seemingly to stop their incremental advances creeping across the landscape. Such a gain would also connect ISIS forces in Libya to the rest of ISIS as well as placing ISIS that much closer to uniting with Boko Haram in western Africa and based in Nigeria. Adding the weapons systems and fighter aircraft to the ISIS arsenals would also be augmented by providing safe zones in which ISIS could train their own pilots providing them with a force multiplier, air support and bombing targets in order to soften them for the ensuing ground assault, something carried out currently by suicide bombers. Such gains made by ISIS would pose a direct threat to the entirety of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and place increased fears in Europe, particularly the southern nations bordering the Mediterranean Sea. One might suspect that such gains and the accompanying threats would provide sufficient threats that the United States would act in a more forceful manner beyond limited airstrikes, but it is our conjecture that until, at the earliest, mid-January 2017 the world can pretty much rule out any increase in their commitment than to provide minimal air support of a few sorties on an active day. One reason that President Obama would not escalate the situation with ISIS would be due to any expansion westwards across northern Africa poses no imminent threat to Iran. In such a case, western movement would take the focus off Iran allowing them to better prepare for their inevitable conflict with ISIS for as long as ISIS exists, the Shia Muslims will not be safe anymore than Jews, Christians and others who do not bow to Allah.

 

The current efforts by ISIS are bringing more forces to bear in the Sinai Peninsula and it appears they will simply be cementing their gains in Iraq for the time being while continuing their efforts in Syria while striking in the Sinai in an effort to overwhelm the Egyptian forces currently holding the area. This is a natural fit for ISIS to open its next expansion as they already have a resupply base where they are able to keep supplies safely and a place they can hide away from the warfront retreating and enjoying relative peace in which to lick their wounds and plan for their next strike. The ISIS strategy is to strike hard with as many forces across as many fronts of the area of operations causing confusion and high casualty counts on their enemy attempting to overrun their checkpoints and other positions. This is the first time ISIS is fighting a national armed forces as until now they were fighting the remnants of a the Syrian Army and militias such as the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and the Sunni and Shia militias in Iraq and some of Iranian IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) forces which have continued to hold Baghdad and stymying further advances. This has forced ISIS to open a new front from which to make headway and continue to project their strong horse imagery and their invincible forces. Their raid this week assaulted multiple targets striking checkpoints and guard positions across the Sinai Peninsula. These strikes met with varying levels of defense but by the end of the day the Egyptian army had regrouped and pushed ISIS from all the positions they had taken earlier in the day. This was accomplished using assets wisely. The coordinated fight was conducted using forces including the Egyptian Air Force, armored units and those ground forces already deployed in the Sinai Peninsula. ISIS actually brought supplies out of Gaza prompting one Egyptian military leader to breach the subject of Gaza claiming that Egypt held the option of their forces going into Gaza and striking hard at any opposition units that may be; including Hamas, Islamic Jihad or other terror forces they find in Gaza. Initial results have shown that ISIS can push the Egyptian forces from their positions but they have thus far been unable to retain the grounds gained and are forced back into hiding. This may prove to be a war of attrition which would favor ISIS as they are gaining strength as the Western Powers, particularly the United States, appear reticent as they refuse to commit ground troops and actually fight against ISIS. Their anxiousness might be due to their having a plan for one great rout of the United States forces reminiscent of the Tet Offensive in Viet Nam. What that taught the leaders who have studied the History of the United States, particularly their innovative abilities to adapt to their situation and implement strategic options changing their tactics and adopting new and innovative tactics to fit that situation but that as long as the enemy can claim a victory and have produced large numbers of casualties that the media will reside with the isolationist reporting the offensive as have created a new and perilous situation where the forces fighting the United States are described as valiant while the United States military are cast as murderous and treacherous and any other derogatory terms and cast as losing the war or at best not winning. Once the American public has been bombarded with such news reports they demand the troops be brought home and from that point forward the United States has lost and their enemies need only keep up a modicum of effort as a constant reminder and to continue the nightly body count at the opening of every newscast. This was what defeated the United States in Viet Nan, in Afghanistan, and in Iraq once already and the one strength the terror forces have is they have nowhere to run to so they will fight to the last man, woman and child. That sort of determination takes an amount of steady and constant levels of ruthlessness in order to not only defeat them in every battle but to break their spirit and prove to them beyond any doubt that their cause is useless and, in this case, Allah does not favor them being deserving of victory and has handed victory to their sworn enemies. The only question is once the coming war begins, will the American people have the stamina and stomach for completing the fight or will they simply first surrender to the coming propaganda and then inevitably face the final surrender, surrendering to Allah and becoming Muslim and all that does entail.

 

Beyond the Cusp

 

Silence is not Necessarily Golden It Can Also be Deadly

 

If a story is never reported, did it still happen? That has become a question I have asked myself every single day almost without exception. You see I feel the pain in my own way every time I find the report in some lesser known news agencies and through word of mouth. That is also something nobody ever really reports about in Israel, news travels in numerous quiet channels reaching every corner of the land despite the little inconvenience that these events rarely make it onto the pages of Haaretz as it would break their story line which paints all the heartache and suffering as solely belonging to the Arabs and seldom the Jews living here. Fortunately in Israel we get other reports in newspapers and online reporting which tells a far different story. The reality for those who care to understand the truth is a very different reality than the happy; everything is just fine just as long as the silence is seldom broken. But the truth, the reality is that there is a reason that whenever an Arab is injured, be it by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Israeli Border Police or any of the several local police departments and other security agents, it makes the news in virtually every news source within and outside of Israel and when an Israeli Jew is similarly injured it barely gets any mention often any further than a local report within Israel as a local story, one event is rare and the other happens multiple times every day. The lack of coverage by the major news agencies is the unfortunate fact that Israelis being assaulted only makes the news when a new type of terror attack breaks onto the scene and within a few days, weeks at most, when it becomes just another way that Israelis are attacked, maimed or even murdered, it is no longer news. When the injury is to an Arab, especially if it appears to be unprovoked or is blown up into an international crime of the century by the media manipulators, that is a story because it fits the evil oppressive occupier Israel as the murderer of innocents and it makes headlines around the world. When such attacks are subsequently found to be, as they often are, a case of an attempted terror attack which was unsuccessful and the Arab was injured or killed in the act of attempting a stabbing or was throwing Molotov firebombs or large rocks at motorists, the follow-up story is seldom plastered on headlines as that is not the preferred story, the reality the media desires to paint.

 

There are reports in the small news outlets, often what would be referred to as the Zionist news sources as if that makes their coverage unimportant as it has a message it wishes to convey as if the rest of the media could never be selling the world a story, a completely opposite story, almost every day of the week where an Israeli motorist was almost murdered except for what often has all the makings of a miracle as their vehicle was attacked, ambushed by a mob of Arabs, often referred to as Palestinians, hurling rocks ranging in size from bricks to bowling ball to cinderblock sizes and even larger which smashed through the Israeli motorists windshield and cause the vehicle massive damage sufficient to prevent it being drivable yet miraculously the vehicle managed to reach safety before completely failing as if collapsing from some horrific ordeal where the vehicle continued just far enough where its unexplainable efforts gave out. Those of us who are familiar with these events do not need pictures as we saw some of the initial coverage when these attacks first became news and realize that almost any recounting will sound incredible and as if exaggerated but often fall short of the actual events as the victim of such attacks often are more amazed and are more aware of their escape as if protected by some outside force gave them and their vehicle a helping hand, the helping hand often seen influencing events and their outcomes. News sources are not interested in the rock ambushes unless there is a gripping instance which makes such an attack noteworthy. Unfortunately that noteworthy news item is all too often a murdered Israeli family member and sometimes all the occupants of vehicles so attacked whose murder tears apart the rest of the family who were often in a vehicle which escaped ambush or were waiting for their family to return from an outing or from a religious observance. It is unfortunate that this is what it takes for such attacks to gain coverage but unless there are such tragedies such attacks happen multiple times every day. Some of these ambush attacks take place daily or weekly triggered by the knowledge that there will be numerous Jewish Israelis who by necessity must run these gauntlets past particular Arab towns. These rock attacks have become a part of living in Israel as a Jew or others who get caught up in such attacks, such non-news stories as the media has come to accept these events as the new normal.

 

Rock ambushes of Israeli motorists are not the only assaults which have become so common as to be considered not to be newsworthy. Rioting and throwing rocks, fireworks (the way incendiary and smaller explosive devices are referred to by Haaretz and others back when these were news items instead of the new normal) Molotov firebombs, pipe bombs and other devices at the security and police forces assigned to contain the violence on the Temple Mount face whenever the Arabs are dispatched to turn up the heat on Israeli forces often hoping to produce a news story. I know there are those out there right now seeing the Arab desire for generating a news story through an event which the news refuse to cover as these events have become, for the most part, no longer newsworthy. That is true unless one of the Arabs is injured by the anti-riot crowd dispersal devices used when such disturbances become overly threatening and dangerous and must be curtailed. Such devices include tear gas, rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades and other nonlethal methods which on occasion do cause a serious injury to an Arab which is then magnified and inflated into a tragic story of an innocent being set upon by Israeli thuggish police tactics simply used to harass Arabs and even injuring innocent Arabs who had not committed any act which warranted such a response such as what caused their injury. The mainstream media just eat these stories taking them whole swallowing the entire false narrative hook, line and sinker. Now there is something to report, an Arab was injured during rioting, who was rioting is never mentioned as these riots are not newsworthy and thus are a minor part of the story having little if any relevance to the injury of this innocent individual. Their being injured by rubber bullets fired at them as they were in the act of hurling a firebomb at the security forces on the Temple Mount is irrelevant. What is relevant is how this poor, innocent Arab was injured by Israeli police while he was attending religious observances on the grounds of the al-Aqsa Mosque (meaning anywhere within a couple of miles of the Temple Mount). It will never be mentioned that this particular religious observance was the after Friday prayers riot which is scheduled for most weeks for months on end which went unreported as only Israelis were injured even a Shin Bet officer requiring emergency room hospital treatment was unimportant but an Arab youth (any Arab under age thirty or so) was grievously injured (a serious bruise) requiring emergency medical treatment at the scene and follow-up treatment by Palestinian medical services (a Band-Aid at the scene replaced with a full forearm bandaging and arm-sling in case any reporter desires pictures) and will be followed up with a full press report possibly with the Arab youth who was injured who might answer the medias’ questions. If such follow-up press release will have the Arab youth appearing now in a wheelchair and sobbing when asked to retell what happened making this event another production of Pallywood Productions. These scheduled riots are often accompanied by their own media stringers armed with cameras varying from cellphones all the way to production quality video equipment all for the use by the media should any reactions from the assaulted IDF or other Israeli forces such as Border Police react with what can be shown to be using excess force against Arab simply protesting peaceably not acting in any manner that warranted such a response. The rock and firebomb throwing is always omitted from such coverage and the story is of an unprovoked Israeli heavy-handed response. These propaganda films and other use of Israelis having to use force to prevent harm to Israeli farms and the Israelis tending their property are sold complete with story to the media and are often taken without any fact-checking accepting at face value what they are told. The mainstream media, particularly the European media, are fully complaisant and freely act as agents for these fabrications, and all are aware that these reports are almost entirely fabrications fully edited for the required story line, the exact sort of editing which would be performed by the European media. Proof of such fabrications being performed by the European Media has become the now infamous al-Dura hoax as reported upon here and here.

 

Apart from these vehicle ambushes and the rioting, especially the rioting on the Temple mount which can be turned on and off simply by use of the sermons disseminating instructions on whether to riot or not any particular Friday especially and any day through Imams and other channels, there are other forms of violence which are seldom if ever reported upon. We seldom here outside of Israel, especially in the United States where anything other than the peace process or Arab victimization is relegated to the ash heap of forgotten or old news. There are at least two or three attempts to assault IDF, Border Police and Shin Bet officers and enlisted troops using knives or steel rods weekly. Most of these assaults are interceded and foiled before they are able to actually attack; such events really makes it into the no story to see here area and are almost invariably ignored, while some successfully injure an IDF or Border Police officer before being subdued almost exclusively through non-injurious means utilizing hand to hand combat techniques, another nonstory the media does not report. Knife attacks even on civilians rarely make news outside of Israel as don’t gang attacks of groups of young Arabs will set upon Haredi youths often waiting lying in ambush in the evening on routs often taken from studies to residences as such routes are well known. Even when such attacks include bladed and concussion style weapons resulting in blunt force traumas and bleeding wounds which often require hospital treatment and even overnight care in case of concussions. If these assaults were to be committed in the opposite direction having Haredi youths waiting in ambush to assault the Arab youths, that would be newsworthy as it would be a rare event and it also fits the narrative of the evil and violent Israelis victimizing the innocent Arabs.

 

The most recent strain of attacks which briefly made news a few months ago when they first appeared and have since dropped from view as they are considered old news as if the injuring of Israelis by running them over with a vehicle is not in and of itself newsworthy and only if the way in which one is injured and its newness quality is what makes such attacks newsworthy is not only a terribly cynical and slanted view on what makes news but also reeks of an anti-Semitic quality of the reporting. Possibly if the Israelis were to hold a rally and have over one million Israelis attend would the story become newsworthy. These attacks using cars and small trucks as extremely large caliber weapons speeding into crowds of Israelis waiting for busses or trains and other places where Jews might congregate have become nearly a daily affair with at least one such assault a day. These are horrific attacks often landing a number of Israelis, including Jews, Muslims, Arabs and Christians as all kinds of Israelis utilize the busses and trains. Often these attacks will target a series of groups on a route where one driver, usually Arab, will attempt to run over the people all along their morning commute choosing the bus stops where more than a dozen people are huddled. Other times these type of attacks strike at night. There is no telling when such an attack might strike at people waiting for transportation by mass transit. Below is a short video of an attack from a couple of nights back caught on a surveillance camera which happens to cover the intersection from a distance. One needs to view the clip carefully as the attack occurs at the right side of the intersection just under the pine tree. The darker vehicle which speeds very fast across the intersection is the vehicle which struck the four sixteen year old boys slightly hurting three and seriously injuring the fourth who remains in hospital as of this writing. As stated, it may take several run-throughs before you catch the teens having been struck, one rolls well into the cross street, we suspect he was the seriously injured young man. Please spread the video as such attacks must be made known to the world just as any undue violence against anybody, Jews, Arab, Hindu, Ukrainian, Russian, French, anyone. Until we as a people, as people on this small little rock learn to share the injuries of every victim of violence and raise our complaint, then who are we, and if not to yell about the violence now, then when. If you feel the pain that these youths felt when struck by a speeding vehicle, then you need to tell others, yell about it from the mountaintops, from YouTube, from every platform we can find, real world or in cyberspace. We need to stand for the innocents caught in senseless violence as we are all just one terror attack from becoming the next person hurt, the next life destroyed, the next person left lying in the street too hurt to even stand and limp off the road where I would be safer, even too weak to plead and shout out to the world, I am in pain from some lunatic who believed my death would empower them. They must not be allowed to claim their victory over my mangled body; they must not be permitted to celebrate their craven act; their terrorist attempt to murder somebody’s special child screams for justice. Shout so they can be heard; share so they will be known; help them not to be just another statistic; just share the video and explain this hatred that struck them with their vehicle; share and prove they can reach out from the hospital where they lie injured and in pain and yet able to reach so many. Perhaps that will be my victory over the senseless violence perpetrated upon us, yes, that will dull our pain, thanks to those who cared and shared.

 

 

 

 

Beyond the Cusp