Tag: attacks

‘The wolf does not belong here’: German summit convened after animal attacks

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German farmers, conservationists and politicians have met at a wolf summit to discuss the animal’s future amid concerns that its population is out of control.
The farmers’ union is calling for a relaxation of rules over when wolves, strictly protected under EU law, can be shot, after a series of highly publicised deadly attacks on farm animals.
It has said that people in rural areas are fearful for their lives as well as the lives of their animals, with many farmers expressing concern for their livelihoods.
Germany is home to an estimated 161 packs of wolves (of between eight to 12 animals each) according to the Federal Wolf Documentation and Advisory Office. A further 43 pairs and 21 individual animals were also registered.
Bavaria’s governor, Markus Söder, attends a farmers’ meeting in Oberaudorf, Germany, on Wednesday. Photograph: Peter Kneffel/AP
Numbers have increased year on year since the wolf was placed under species protection in 1990, after it was considered to have more or less become extinct at the end of the 19th^century.
The southern state of Bavaria has already taken its own decision to allow farmers to actively kill wolves where livestock is thought to be under particular threat.
Its leader, Markus Söder, visited an alpine village on Thursday that has reportedly been the scene of attacks on grazing animals, where he said the future of farming was in danger if wolf populations were not brought under control.
“I’ll say it quite clearly, the wolf does not belong here,” Söder told a gathering of farmers and their families in Oberaudorf. “We have introduced a new wolf bylaw … one breach is sufficient and the wolf can be removed from a region.”

Söder’s CSU party has said it would like to see the elimination of all wolves from Germany. Photograph: Peter Kneffel/AP
His Christian Social Union (CSU) has said it would like to see the elimination of all wolves from Germany. Its larger sister party, the centre-right CDU, has called for hunting rights to be expanded to include wolves.
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Harald Ebner, of the Greens party, head of the federal committee for environment and nature protection, said it would be wrong for such permission to be granted. “The quick call to arms is no solution and the perpetual appeal for wolf-free zones and quotas contravenes EU law and will bring no relief to keepers of grazing animals,” he said.
The environment minister, Steffi Lemke, also of the Greens, has argued for increasing protection both for grazing animals and wolves. “We cannot in good conscience, call for the protection of animals in African countries at the same time as saying here that it is not possible to protect the wolf,” she said
The farmers’ union in Brandenburg, northern Germany, home to the largest number of wolves in the country with an estimated 47 packs and 14 pairs, is calling for a quota that could be shot legally each year, drawing on wolf population control measures in Finland and Sweden.
Brandenburg permitted wolves to be shot in specifically defined cases in 2022, after a series of livestock killings. A male wolf was killed in March after 76 livestock deaths were attributed to it.
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#wolf #belong #German #summit #convened #animal #attacks
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 28, 2023
Iran court orders Obama, Bush to pay $313m for 2017 ‘terrorist’ attacks

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Tehran: The Iranian court has ordered the United States government and nine individuals and entities, including former Presidents Barack Obama, and George Bush to pay 313 million dollars (Rs 25,60,26,33,150) in compensation for the 2017 attacks carried out by the Islamic State militant group.
On Wednesday, an Iranian court issued the verdict based on complaints from the families of three people killed and six injured during the June 2017 attacks in Tehran, according to the judiciary’s official news website, Al Jazeera reported.
Those convicted in this case include the US government, former Presidents Barack Obama, George Walker Bush, Central Command and its former commander Tommy Franks, the CIA, the Treasury Department, arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin and American Airlines.

The court ruled that 9.95 million dollars (Rs 81,37,95,575) should be paid in compensation for financial damages, while 104 million dollars (Rs 8,50,74,13,200) and 199 million dollars (Rs 16,27,86,07,950) in moral and punitive damages, respectively, for a total of 313 million dollars (Rs 25,60,26,33,150).
On June 7, 2017, the Iranian parliament and the shrine of Imam Khomeini in the capital, Tehran, were subjected to terrorist attacks.
Four gunmen disguised as women entered the parliament and opened fire on the security guards, and gunmen separately attacked the shrine of Imam Khomeini and opened fire on the people inside the compound.
At least 17 people were killed and nearly 50 injured in these attacks, for which the terrorist organization ISIS later claimed responsibility.
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#Iran #court #orders #Obama #Bush #pay #313m #terrorist #attacks

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 27, 2023
Terror attacks in Pakistan kill 293 people this year

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Rawalpindi: A total of 293 people have been killed and 521 others injured in 436 terrorist attacks in Pakistan since January this year, the military’s media wing ISPR said.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 192 people were killed and 330 injured in 219 incidents, whereas Balochistan reported 80 fatalities and 170 wounded persons in 206 attacks, said Director General (DG) of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry at a press briefing.
A total of 21 people were killed and 21 others injured in 11 incidents in Punjab and Sindh provinces, he told reporters here.

The DG added that this year, the security forces conducted 8,269 major and minor intelligence-based operations in which 1,535 terrorists were either killed or arrested.
An average of over 70 operations are being conducted by police, security forces, and other law enforcement agencies on a daily basis across the country, the official said.
“Due to untiring efforts of the public and army, there is no no-go area in Pakistan. However, in some areas, several groups of terrorists are active which are being eliminated on a daily basis. During these operations huge cache of arms and ammunition has been recovered from terrorists and their handlers,” he said.
The fatalities in the operations included 137 army personnel while there were 117 injured persons, he said, adding that “the war against terrorism will continue till elimination of the last terrorist”.
Talking about the internally displaced people, following operations in tribal areas, he said that 95 per cent of them returned home after the restoration of peace.

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#Terror #attacks #Pakistan #kill #people #year
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 26, 2023
J&K: Leopard attacks nearly dozen goats in Samba region

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Jammu: A leopard killed nearly a dozen sheep in the Gurha Slathia area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district on Sunday, police officials said.
Joint teams have been formed and traps placed to capture the big cat, they said.
The leopard ventured into the Ghar Mandi locality of Gurha Slathia from the nearby forest area and attacked a herd of goats, they said, adding that while eight goats were found dead on the spot, three others are missing and are believed to have been taken away by the animal.

A couple of days back, a girl sustained serious injuries after being attacked by a leopard near the Parmandal area.
The wildlife department has been informed about the frequent visit of leopards in the villages adjoining the forest area, officials said, adding that the animal will be caught soon.
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#Leopard #attacks #dozen #goats #Samba #region

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 23, 2023
Sri Lanka’s ex-AG summoned over 2019 Easter Sunday attacks

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Colombo: Sri Lanka’s former Attorney General (AG), who claimed that there was a ‘grand conspiracy’ behind the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, has been summoned to the police special investigation unit to record a statement.
Ex-Attorney General Dappula de Livera has been summoned to the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) to appear on Wednesday following a direction by Justice Minister Wijayadasa Rajapakshe to the present AG to record a statement from the former AG.
Few days ahead of his retirement in 2021, Livera had stated that there was a ‘grand conspiracy with regard to the 2019 April Attacks’.

Speaking to the media, the former AG had stated that the foreign violent extremist religious ideology was imported to Sri Lanka at some point and it played a key role in carrying out the attacks.
Livera had also claimed that the investigations into the coordinated attacks, carried out on three Christian churches and four hotels on April 21, 2019, were focused on three people living overseas including Abu Hind in India, and Lukman Thalib and son in Australia for their connection to the attacks.
Indian security agencies, which had followed the extremist movement in Sri Lanka, National Thowheeth Jama’ath and its leader Mohammed Zaharan, had shared detailed information about the attacks well ahead of the disaster but Sri Lankan security had to act on the details provided.
The multiple attacks killed nearly 270 people including foreigners and injured over 500.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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#Sri #Lankas #exAG #summoned #Easter #Sunday #attacks
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 19, 2023
Salman Khan attacks Katrina Kaif, Aishwarya Rai on TKSS? Watch

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Mumbai: Superstar Salman Khan is all set to grace the popular comedy and celebrity chat show ‘The Kapil Sharma Show’ to promote his much-awaited film ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’ along with his team. Host Kapil Sharma shared several glimpses of the episode and going by them it seems like Salman is expected to light up the show with his witty anecdotes, hilarious banter with Kapil and his signature sense of humor.
One of the promos of upcoming episode that caught our attention on social media shows Salman Khan speaking about term ‘Jaan’. Kapil asks Salman, “Bhai waise ‘Bhai’ toh sab bolte hain, jaan bolne ka aapne kisko de rakha hai. (Well, everyone calls you ‘Bhai’, but who have you reserved the term ‘jaan’ for?)”
To this Salman Khan replied in his signature humourous style, “Kisi ko haq nai dena jaan bolne ka. Jaan se start hota hai aur jaan lelete hain. I think ‘Jaan’ ek bahaut incomplete sentence hai. Jaan lelungi teri uske baad kisi aur ko apni jaan banaungi phir uski bhi jaan lelungi.” His witty retort left the audience, host, and Archana Puran Singh in splits, showcasing his unmatched sense of humor. Watch the video below.

Now, several social media users are wondering if Salman Khan just took an indirect jibe at his exs Aishwarya Rai and Katrina Kaif. Bhaijaan’s relationship with his former co-stars Katrina and Aishwarya was widely reported and speculated in the media, often described as tumultuous and filled with ups and downs.
Salman Khan’s past relationship with Aishwarya Rai has been a subject of immense attention and continues to be a topic of discussion among the media and fans alike even today. Their high-profile romance, which attracted widespread media coverage, is often recalled even after all these years.
Katrina Kaif is married to Vicky Kaushal and Aishwarya Rai is married to Abhishek Bachchan. On the other hand, Salman Khan remains single, continuing to focus on his illustrious career in the film industry.

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#Salman #Khan #attacks #Katrina #Kaif #Aishwarya #Rai #TKSS #Watch

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023
‘Christians are in danger..false’, Centre to SC on plea over attacks

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New Delhi: The Centre has brought on record data from eight states before the Supreme Court to claim that plea alleging increasing attacks on Christians across the country is an “attempt by the petitioners to paint a false picture”, and petitions like these are “projected outside the country to say “look Christians are in danger”, which is a concern for the government.
In a compliance affidavit, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said: “It is submitted that perusal of the verification reports furnished reveals that state governments have stated that majority of the incidents (263 out of 495) from the list furnished by the counsel for the petitioner(s) have not been reported to them”.
The affidavit said out of 232 incidents, which have been reported to the concerned state Governments, the matter(s) were resolved in 73 incidents amicably with mutual agreement between both the parties. “These 73 incidents were related to land disputes, family disputes, superstitious practices, violation of Covid-19 guidelines and other trivial issues. FIR/non-FIR complaints were registered in the remaining 155 cases,” it added.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, and advocate Sumeer Sodhi, representing the Chhattisgarh government, opposed arguments made by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the petitioners, before a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.
Mehta said, “They want to keep the pot boiling that is very apparent…in fact there are 64 arrests in Chhattisgarh…state governments are saying that most of the incidents never happened…and this would be projected outside the country…look Christians are in danger…that is our concern.” Gonsalves said it is not a question of arrests, “you attack and then you put us behind…once see the data lordships”.
According to the Centre, in Bihar the petitioners claimed 38 incidents (attack on Christians), however state government reported 15 incidents, out of which five matters were resolved amicably between both the parties, 12 accused were arrested and charge sheets have been filed in two cases.
In Chhattisgarh, 119 incidents were claimed by the petitioners, however the state government reported 36 incidents and in 12 incidents matters were related to family disputes, which was resolved amicably, and 64 accused were arrested and charge sheets have been filed in 13 cases.
In Uttar Pradesh, 150 incidents were claimed by the petitioners, but 70 incidents were reported by the state government. It further added that 44 FIRs were registered and 72 accused were arrested and 33 were served notice under section 41-A of CrPC, and charge sheets have been filed in 30 cases.

During the hearing, Mehta, stressing petitioners’ data on number of attacks on Christians is incorrect, submitted that in Bihar, petitioners claimed 38 incidents, but these were fights between neighbours where one happens to be a Christian, and fights were resolved and whenever there is a grave offence, arrests have happened.
Mehta also questioned the data from the helpline referred by the petitioners, on which whoever reported an incident was counted.
After hearing submissions, the bench also comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, noted that the counsel for petitioners says MHA’s affidavit was received last night and time should be granted to the petitioners to file a response if needed, and listed the matter for further hearing after three weeks. The petition has been filed by Most Rev. Dr. Peter Machado and others.
The MHA’s affidavit said that it is evident from the information furnished by the concerned state governments that the counsel for the petitioners has exaggerated the number of incidents and many incidents alleged as Christian persecution in the report of the counsel for the petitioners may have been either false or wrongly projected.
“It is submitted that many trivial disputes between two parties are likely to have been given religious colour. For example – in relation to an incident in the district Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, the Counsel for the petitioner(s) in their report, has claimed that the police barged in and disrupted the prayer of pastor Prem Singh and warned the pastor to discontinue with their services as well as detained the pastor. However, the verification report of the government of Uttar Pradesh reveals that there is a land dispute between pastor Prem Singh and a local resident, named Vijay Kumar. Police action in the matter was projected as persecution of Christians. The matter was deliberately given religious colour,” said the affidavit.
The affidavit further added that in reference to ‘Christians Under Attack in India’ — a fact finding report prepared by the Association for Protection of Civil Right (APCR), the UCF, and United Against Hate (UAH), the verification reports received from concerned state governments thereof reveals that many allegations and observations made in the report were found to be unfounded and the majority of the incidents quoted either were false or deliberately exaggerated, and uncorroborated.
“The incidents, quoted here, from the UCF, PR (Persecution Relief) and EFI/ RLC’s (Evangelical Fellowship of India- Religious Liberty Commissions) reports were based on the alleged calls on their helpline and social media sites and the said organisation have no mechanism to corroborate the incidents reported to them over the helpline or their websites,” it added.
The MHA said India is a vibrant pluralistic society founded on strong democratic principles and practices and the Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all citizens, including the Right to Freedom of Religion under Article 25 to 28 of the Constitution, and all persons have equal right to practice, profess and propagate their religion peacefully.
The affidavit said the attempt of the petitioners is to paint a particularly false picture for aims unknown and it is submitted that the country is governed by the rule of law and the attempt of the petitioners is to create a false narrative through the present Article 32 petition must be deprecated.
“It is submitted that the present petition is an attempt to short-circuit the process of law followed by the entire country that ought to be stalled. Therefore, in view of the aforementioned, it is denied that there is any violation of fundamental rights as enshrined under the Constitution of India, as alleged. It is, therefore, humbly prayed that the petition may be dismissed,” said the affidavit.
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#Christians #danger..false #Centre #plea #attacks
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 13, 2023
The more BJP attacks me, I know I am on the right track: Rahul Gandhi

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Wayanad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP saying he was not scared or intimidated by the saffron party’s tactics of taking away his MP “tag” or his official residence as the more the ruling dispensation attacks him, the more he knows he is on the right path.
The Gandhi scion lashed out at the BJP over the “attacks” on him, saying that he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha as “the government was very uncomfortable” with the “simple questions” he had asked regarding businessman Gautam Adani and his alleged relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Gandhi, who arrived in Kalpetta area of this border district of Kerala for the first time after his disqualification as the MP from Wayanad, said the Congress was not scared by the “intimidation, aggression and nastiness” of the BJP, but rather found it “amusing”.

“It is a fight between two visions of India. The BJP represents one vision and we represent another and we (Congress) are not scared of your (BJP) intimidation, your aggression, your nastiness. In fact, we find it quite amusing,” the Gandhi scion said at a roadshow organised by UDF.
His arrival, along with his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in Kalpetta received a rousing welcome from thousands of people, including UDF leaders, workers and supporters, who thronged the roadside along the route taken by him, atop a truck, to the venue of the roadshow called ‘Satyameva Jayate’.
Speaking at the venue before a crowd where thousands were gathered, Gandhi said a Member of Parliament was just a “tag” or a post and taking that away from him will not scare or intimidate him nor would it stop him from representing the people of Wayanad.
“Member of Parliament is a tag. It is a post. So, the BJP can take away the tag, the post, the house and they can even jail me, but they cannot stop me from representing the people of Wayanad.
“I am surprised that even after so many years, the BJP has not understood its opponent. They do not understand that their opponent will not get intimidated. They think I will get scared by sending police to my house or that I will be disturbed if my house is taken away,” he said.

It will also not stop him from asking questions or raising issues of the people of Wayanad and India, he said.
Regarding the central government order asking him to vacate his official residence, Gandhi said his sister, who spoke before him at the event, did not mention that “I was actually happy they took away my house” as he was not interested in staying there.
The Congress leader said he learned from the people of Wayanad, hundreds of whom lost their homes in floods in the state, that “take away my home 50 times, I will continue to raise the issues of the public of Wayanad and India”.
Gandhi said he knows that what he is doing is right and that he is on the correct path because of the 24-hour long attacks on him by the BJP.
“I have to tell you how I know what I am doing is correct. I know that if the BJP is taking away my house, disqualifying me from Parliament, attacking me 24 hours, I am doing the right thing. The more they attack me, the more I know that this is exactly the path on which I have to walk,” he said adding that he would not stop, “no matter what happens”.
The reason for the attacks on him by the BJP was because he asked some “simple questions” in Parliament about the relationship between PM Modi and Adani.
“After all, what did I do? I went to Parliament and asked the Prime Minister some questions about a businessman. I just asked him — Mr Narendra Modi, please explain your relationship with Mr Gautam Adani.
“I kept asking that simple question. In my speech in Parliament, I used media reports to show that Adani, who was 609th in the list of wealthiest people in the world, became number 2. I gave examples of how the Prime Minister himself facilitated this growth,” Gandhi said.
The former Congress president alleged that he showed how the defence relationship between Israel and India was transformed, rules of Indian airports were changed and Indian foreign policy was used — all to help Adani.
“I asked a simple question on the relationship the PM has with Adani. The PM has not answered this question so far and for the first time, you saw how the government itself was not letting the Parliament run,” he contended.
Gandhi further alleged that BJP ministers lied about him in Parliament, but he was not allowed to respond to the same as permitted under the rules.
When he wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker regarding the same and seeking his permission to speak in the House in response to the allegations, Speaker Om Birla said he had no choice, Gandhi claimed.
“So the entire Parliament house was shut, I was not allowed to reply and then at the end of it, because the government was very uncomfortable about the type of questions I asked and about the issues I raised, I was removed from the Parliament.
“Doesn’t matter. This (disqualification) is the biggest gift they could have given me,” he said.
He assured the people of Wayanad that his disqualification does not mean that his relationship with the people there, irrespective of whether they support Kerala’s ruling LDF or state opposition UDF, would change.
It will not put on hold the various projects, like use of roads at night, or dampen issues like the buffer zone in the district, he said.
“Even if I am not an MP, I will make sure these things happen in Wayanad,” he said.
“In the end, I would like to repeat that my disqualification does not mean anything as far as my relationship with you (people of Wayanad) is concerned. I promise you this disqualification will only deepen my relationship with you,” he said at the conclusion of his speech.
Gandhi was disqualified as the MP from Wayanad last month after being convicted and sentenced in a criminal defamation case.
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#BJP #attacks #track #Rahul #Gandhi
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 11, 2023
Israel launches airstrikes in Syria after rocket attacks

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Tel Aviv: Israel carried out artillery strikes in southern Syria, in response to six rockets that were launched from its Islamic neighbour, The Times of Israel reported citing Israel Defence Force.
The IDF did not immediately provide further details on the strikes.
Earlier, 3 more rockets were launched from southern Syria at Israeli towns in the Golan Heights, the Israel Defense Forces said. This came hours after another three rockets were launched from Syria at the Golan, reported The Times of Israel.

On Saturday night, the focus shifted to Jerusalem’s Old City as security forces fear that further unrest could break out on Sunday when Jewish worshipers are expected to flock to the Western Wall for the priestly blessings that take place on Passover, reported Jerusalem Post.
Jewish visitors are also expected to ascend the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif. An additional 2,300 police troops have been deployed throughout the city. “Israel is taking every measure to ensure that Muslims, Jews and Christians can celebrate Ramadan, Passover and Easter peacefully,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Despite appeals for restraint, violence has surged since Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa mosque on Wednesday after they said Palestinians barricaded themselves inside.
Israel bombarded both Gaza and Lebanon in response to rocket fire by Palestinian militants. The unrest comes as the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramzan, Jewish Passover, and Christian Easter coincide.
By Saturday night, it appeared as if an uneasy calm had been restored, with security forces still braced not just for violence along those borders as well as increased Israeli-Palestinian violence, reported Jerusalem Post.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant briefed US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the security situation on Saturday night, detailing efforts to “thwart terrorism and respond effectively to any threat toward Israeli citizens and troops,” his office said.
“Gallant also raised the defence establishment’s efforts to enable freedom of prayer at the Temple Mount, which is hijacked by groups of extreme rioters,” his office added President Isaac Herzog said Israel was “firmly committed to preserving the status quo at the holy sites in general and on the Temple Mount in particular” in a telephonic conversation he had with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Netanyahu said last week claimed Iran is behind the latest spiral in violence in Israel, a point Herzog underscored in his conversation with Erdogan.
“Iran, by means of its proxies, including Hamas, is leading a campaign on several fronts with the aim of undermining regional stability and is using terrorism based on religious incitement, focusing on the situation in Jerusalem,” Herzog said.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati issued a statement condemning any military operations from its territory that threatened stability but there was no immediate comment from Hezbollah, reported Jerusalem Post.
(Except for the headline, the story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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#Israel #launches #airstrikes #Syria #rocket #attacks
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 9, 2023
Attacks in Israel, West Bank kill 3 in worsening violence

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The spasm of violence in Israel and the West Bank heightened fears of an even more intense surge, with the rare convergence of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, the Jewish Passover holiday and Easter currently underway.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was calling up all reserve forces in Israel’s border police, a paramilitary force usually deployed to suppress Palestinian unrest, “to confront the terror attacks.”
The additional border police would be activated Sunday and join other units that have recently been deployed in Jerusalem and Lod, a town in central Israel with a mixed Jewish and Palestinian population.
Israel had unleashed rare airstrikes on Lebanon and bombarded the Gaza Strip on Friday morning, but later in the day there were signs that both sides were trying to keep the border hostilities in check. The fighting subsided after dawn, and midday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem — a flashpoint for violence in recent days — passed peacefully.
The round of violence erupted after Israeli police raided the mosque earlier in the week, sparking unrest in the contested capital and outrage across the Arab world. Militants fired an unusually large rocket barrage at Israel from southern Lebanon on Thursday — some of the heaviest and most serious cross-border violence since Israel’s 2006 war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants — as well as from Gaza.
In the Tel Aviv car-ramming late Friday, the alleged attacker rammed his vehicle into a group of civilians near a popular seaside park, police said. Israel’s rescue service said a 30-year-old Italian man was killed, while five other British and Italian tourists — including a 74-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl — were receiving medical treatment for mild to moderate injuries.
Police said they shot and killed the driver of the car and identified him as a 45-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel from the village of Kafr Qassem.
A video circulating on social media showed the car hurtling along a sidewalk for several hundred yards before crashing out of control.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni’s office expressed “closeness to the family of the victim” and “solidarity with the Israel for the vile attack.” She identified the man killed as Alessandro Parini from Rome.
The shooting in the West Bank meanwhile killed the two sisters, who were in their 20s, and seriously wounded their 45-year-old mother near an Israeli settlement in the Jordan Valley, Israeli and British officials said. The family lived in the Efrat settlement, near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, said Oded Revivi, the settlement’s mayor.
Medics said they dragged the unconscious women from their smashed car, which appeared to have been pushed off the road.
No groups claimed responsibility for either attack. But the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza praised both incidents as retaliation for Israeli raids earlier this week on the Al-Aqsa mosque — the third-holiest site in Islam. On Tuesday, police arrested and beat hundreds of Palestinians there, who responded by hurling rocks and firecrackers at officers.
Friday’s airstrikes on neighboring Lebanon targeted Hamas militant sites, the Israeli military said, accusing the group of firing the nearly three dozen rockets that slammed into open areas and towns in northern Israel on Thursday. The bombardment seemed designed to avoid drawing in Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shiite group that Israel considers its most immediate threat.
There were no reports of serious casualties from the airstrikes, but several people in the southern Lebanese town of Qalili, including Syrian refugees, said they were lightly wounded.
“I immediately gathered my wife and children and got them out of the house,” said Qalili resident Bilal Suleiman, who was jolted awake by the bombing.
A flock of sheep was killed when the Israeli missiles struck a field near the Palestinian refugee camp of Rashidiyeh, according to an Associated Press photographer. Other airstrikes hit a bridge and a power transformer in nearby Maaliya, and damaged an irrigation system.
In the Gaza Strip, Israel’s military pounded what it said were Hamas weapons production sites and underground tunnels. A children’s hospital in Gaza City was among sites sustaining damage, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
After the retaliatory strikes, Israelis living along the southern border returned home from bomb shelters. Most missiles that managed to cross into Israeli territory hit open areas, but one landed in the town of Sderot, sending shrapnel slicing into a house.
There were no reports of casualties on either side of the southern border.
The Israeli military said everyone wanted to avoid a full-blown conflict. “Quiet will be answered with quiet,” said spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht. A Qatari official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the emirate was mediating.
Even as a fragile calm took hold along the Lebanese and Gaza borders, the West Bank remained volatile. Violence has surged to new heights there in recent months, with Palestinian health officials reporting the start of 2023 to be the most deadly for Palestinians in two decades.
Nearly 90 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of the year, at least half of them affiliated with militant groups, according to an Associated Press tally. During that time, 17 people have been killed in Palestinian attacks on Israelis — all but one of them civilians.
“It’s just a matter of time, and not much time, until we settle the score,” Netanyahu said as he toured the site of the deadly shooting in the West Bank with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. “We acted in Lebanon, we acted in Gaza, we beefed up forces in the field.”
Al-Aqsa has long been a nexus of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the skirmishes between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli police at the holy compound this week spiraled into a regional confrontation. The mosque sits on a hilltop sacred to both Muslims and Jews. In 2021, an escalation triggered by clashes there spilled over into an 11-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
Before dawn prayers Friday, chaos erupted at an entrance to the esplanade as Israeli police wielding batons descended on crowds of Palestinian worshippers who chanted slogans praising Hamas as they tried to squeeze into the site. Later, people leaving prayers staged a large protest on the limestone courtyard, raising their fists, shouting against Israel and waving Hamas flags. Israeli police said they forced their way into the compound in response to “masked suspects” who threw rocks toward officers at a gate.
Israeli authorities control access to the area but the compound is administered by Islamic and Jordanian officials.
The unrest comes at a delicate time for Jerusalem’s Old City, which was suffused with religious fervor and teeming with pilgrims from around the world. The Christian faithful retraced the route Jesus is said to have taken for Good Friday and Jews celebrated the weeklong Passover holiday, while Muslims prayed and fasted for Ramadan.
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#Attacks #Israel #West #Bank #kill #worsening #violence
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 8, 2023