Israeli Hero Ari Fuld, Father Of 4, Stabbed To Death In Gush Etzion

Ari Fuld, 45, was stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist outside the Gush Etzion shopping mall on Sunday (16th).

Fuld was standing in the parking lot when the terrorist stabbed him from behind.  Fuld drew his weapon and gave chase after the terrorist, who ran toward the entrance of the mall.

Fuld and another civilian shot and wounded the terrorist before he collapsed. Through their courageous actions, they prevented a much larger attack.

He was taken to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead an hour later.

“In the name of every citizen of Israel, I send my condolences to the family of Ari Fuld, who was murdered today in a terrorist attack in Gush Etzion,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on social media.

“With his last strength. Ari fought heroically against the terrorist and prevented a greater tragedy.  Ari was a wonderful father to four children. He was an advocate for Israel – he fought to spread the truth about Israel.  May his memory be a blessing,” said Netanyahu.

Fuld a resident of Efrat and a US citizen, was a well-known figure in the pro-Israel advocacy world and a member of Efrat’s counter-terrorism Rapid Response Team.

US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman tweeted, “America grieves as one of its citizens was brutally murdered by a Palestinian terrorist.  Ari Fuld was a passionate defender of Israel and American patriot. He represented the best of both countries and will be missed. May his family be comforted and his memory be blessed.”.

Israel’s Minister of Education Naftali Bennett tweeted that Fuld was “a hero of Israel.  In his death he saved lives. Ari Fuld, who was murdered today, did not stop until he neutralized the terrorist.  Though stabbed in the back, he ran, pulled out a gun and shot before he collapsed. The terrorist could no longer hurt others.”

“My heart is with the Etzion Bloc.  My condolences to the victim’s family.  We will continue to fight against terror with an iron fist,” said Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman.

(worldisraelnews.com; israelnn.com)

 

Palestinian Groups Applaud Gush Etzion Attack

Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, praised the murder of Ari Fuld on Sunday (16th) saying it was a “natural response to Zionist crimes against the Palestinians.”

The Palestinian Authority did not immediately comment on the attack.

A report identified the terrorist as 17-year-old Khalil Ali Jabarin of the town of Yatta south of Hebron.

Hamas quickly reacted to the terrorist attack and called it a “heroic stabbing operation.”

Husam Badran, a senior Hamas official, said in a statement: “We welcome this heroic operation and affirm that… the Palestinian people will not remain silent towards the ongoing violations against the al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Hamas official was referring to visits by Jews to the Temple Mount, which Palestinians claim are aimed at altering the status quo of the holy site.  The PA and its leaders have condemned the visits and accused Jews of “defiling” the Islamic compound, which Jews also claim as their holy site.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the second-largest terrorist group in the Gaza Strip issued a statement praising the “heroic operation against Zionist terrorism,” and said the murder of Fuld was because of “Zionist crimes against our people, lands and holy sites.”

Another Gaza-based terrorist group, The Popular Resistance Committees, said the murder of Fuld “was a form of popular resistance against the Zionist-American conspiracy against the Palestinians.”

The armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), a PLO terrorist faction, hailed the attack, and said the “resistance will eventually force the occupation to go away,” and called for additional attacks on IDF soldiers and civilians.

(jpost.com)

 

Hours After Syria Strike, Netanyahu Says Israel Enforcing ‘Red Lines’

Hours after an alleged Israeli airstrike on the Damascus airport in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed the country’s policy of employing military action to prevent weapons transfers to the enemies that pose an immediate threat.

The overnight strike reportedly targeted an Iranian plane delivering weapons for pro-regime forces and Revolutionary Guards units fighting in Syria’s civil war.

“Israel is constantly working to prevent our enemies from arming themselves with advanced weaponry,” Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem.  “Our red lines are sharp as ever and our determination to enforce them is stronger than ever.”

According to a Hadashot TV news report Sunday (16th), the Iranian Boeing-made cargo plane loaded with weapons, had recently landed at the Damascus International Airport from Tehran.

The strike also reportedly targeted several weapons storage rooms at the airport.  Efforts were made to disguise the purpose of the buildings, the report said, with some of the warehouses labeled “United Nations” or “DHL,” the international mail company, in an apparent effort to evade Israeli intelligence-gathering efforts.

The Syrian state news agency, SANA, reported late Saturday night (15th) that Israel had targeted the airport with missiles, activating Syrian air defenses.

(timesofisrael.com; sananews.sy)

 

Netanyahu Vows: Israel Won’t Repeat Mistakes Of Yom Kippur War

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel would never repeat the mistake it made in 1973 by not preempting an enemy attack.

He made the remarks Sunday (16th) during his weekly cabinet meeting, as the country marks the 45th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.

“We absorbed a bloody attack that cost us thousands of victims,” Netanyahu said in his address.  “We must do everything to prevent war. Its victims …are a gaping wound in the heart of the nation.  However, if war is forced upon us, we must do everything to win with minimal losses.”

Netanyahu explained that 45 years ago, the country’s intelligence erred with regard to “a mistaken assessment regarding the belligerent intentions of Egypt and Syria” to go to war.

“When these intentions became clear beyond all doubt, and when the danger was on our very doorstep, the political leadership made a grievous mistake by not allowing a preemptive strike.  We will never repeat this mistake,” the prime minister emphasized.

Following this remark, Netanyahu made it clear that Israel is constantly working to prevent its enemies from arming themselves with advanced weaponry.

The Yom Kippur Holy Day begins at sundown Tuesday evening (18th) and ends at sundown Wednesday evening (19th).

(worldisraelnews.com)

 

Belgium Ends Funding For Palestinian Schools Over Honoring Of Terrorist

Belgium has broken its relations with the Palestinian Education Ministry over its honoring of terrorists and will no longer fund the construction of its schools, a government spokesperson said.

The Belgian Education Ministry announced the move – the first of its kind by any European country – last week, the Joods Actueel Jewish newspaper reported on Friday (14th).

“As long as school names are used to glorify terrorism, Belgium can no longer cooperate with the Palestinian Education Ministry and will not give out budgets for the construction of schools,” a statement read.

Last year, Belgium froze $3.8 million in funding for the construction of two Palestinian schools after a West Bank school that it helped fund was renamed for a terrorist who killed Jewish civilians.  Numerous appeals by the Belgian government to have the school renamed have gone unheeded, leading to the end of cooperation, the statement said.

Sometime after 2013, a school built in Hebron with Belgian money was renamed for Dalal Mughrabi, a Palestinian terrorist who was part of a 1978 attack that killed 38 Israeli civilians, including 13 children.

While Norway, Denmark, Holland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Nations have condemned the PA for naming educational and cultural buildings that they fund after terrorists, the Palestinians persist in the practice.

(jta.org)