ISRAELI PRESS REVIEW
Israeli Press Review of 10.07.2013
- Ultra-Orthodox soldier attacked by haredi mob
An ultra-Orthodox soldier soldier was attacked by dozens of haredim in Jerusalem, Yediot Aharonot reports.
The incident occurred in the Meah Shearim neighborhood. The soldier ran into a nearby building and called in police forces, which managed to rescue him unharmed.
The haredim on site were throwing stones at the forces trying to disperse the crowds, and four rioters were arrested for disturbing the peace.
Police said that the soldier, a resident of central Israel, arrived in the neighborhood to visit relatives. When he was attacked, he fled to a nearby structure, where he changed into civilian attire and contacted police to report the assault
After clashes subsided, haredim gathered in the area, crying out against haredi soldiers and calling police ‘Nazis.’
Following the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack and said that „we will take a hard line against whoever tries to intimidate the citizens who are fulfilling their duty to the State.”
Click here to read the full article in Yediot Aharonot
- Gaza disengagement commander expresses remorse
Eight years after Israel’s disengagement from the Gaza Strip a commander of the operation’s police forces, Brigadier General (res.) Meir Ben-Ishay expressed sorrow for his part in uprooting settlements, and revealed that he and hundreds of policemen and soldiers were struggling to overcome the trauma behind the pullout, Yediot Aharonot reports.
Ben-Ishay, who coined the expression „sensitive determination” in the summer of 2005, paid a visit to the Gush Katif Museum in Jerusalem last week, and signed the guestbook: „For me, the wound is still open; I apologise if I hurt; „God forgive me.”
Click here to read the full article in Times of Israel
- New Christian Arab party calls for IDF enlistment
Christian Arab citizens of Israel are forming a new political party that calls for Arab enlistment into the IDF. The party’s Hebrew name — B’nei Brit Hahadasha — means “Sons of the New Testament,” although the term can also be translated as “New Allies”, the Times of Israel reports..
The effort is part of a growing assertiveness on the part of Christian Arabs in the wake of the Arab Spring, as they increasingly sound calls for an identity distinct from Israel’s broader Arab society, which is around 90% Muslim.
According to its Facebook page, the party’s platform includes full integration of Christians in all fields, peace with a democratic Palestinian state and all of Israel’s neighbours, increased tourism and trade, and the return of Israelis who have left the country.
The new movement is led by Bishara Shilyan, a 58-year-old sea captain from the mixed Christian-Muslim city of Nazareth. Shilyan said the idea came to him when he saw how much trouble his nephew ran into when he tried to enlist in the army.
