A7News: Day of Terrorism on Both Sides of 1967 Green Line

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Day of Terrorism on Both Sides of 1967 Green Line Israeli-Arabs have joined the fray. Arabs in pre-1967 Israel were as involved in recent terror attacks as those in areas liberated in 1967. more Day of Terrorism on Both Sides of 1967 Green Line Tzviya Sariel to be Released on Wednesday Knesset Speaker to German Leader: Our Lives Depend on You Purim Beginner Read-Alouds in Parks and Private Homes Second Temple Half-Shekel Found in Jerusalem Dig Education Ministry Hopes to Set Stringent Teacher Requirements Two-Year-Old Anti-Islam Book Infuriates Moslems Meretz Chooses Oron as Its New Leader TV Programs Shavei Shomron: Uprooting Offers vs. Expansion and Building Click to view Uprooting Offers vs. Expansion and Building Click to view Radio Programs Audio: Messianics - Hear this Show! Click to Listen Audio: Supplying Gaza with Toilet Paper Click to Listen 1. Day of Terrorism on Both Sides of 1967 Green Line by Ezra HaLevi The Israeli-Arab terrorist group Ahrar al-Jalil (Free People of the Galilee) has claimed responsibility for a stabbing attack in the Old City of Jerusalem on Tuesday morning.  The group previously has stated it was behind other terrorist attacks, most of which were later proven to have been perpetrated by other groups. Rabbi Yechezkel Greenwald of the Samaria town of Beit El was lightly wounded in the attack.  A student managed to fend off the terrorist attacker before he could cause more serious harm. Hamas Will Protect Family of Israeli-Arab Terrorist The Hamas terrorist group announced via its web site that it will protect the family of terrorist Alaa Abu Dheim, the Israeli-Arab who murdered eight students at Jerusalem's Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav. The Islamist group, apparently shaken by the ability of teenage girls and young Jewish activists to bypass police blockades and reach the Jerusalem Arab village of Jabal Mukabar, threatened the "settlers" with retaliation if the village is entered again. A Jewish neighborhood, Nof Zion, is located amidst Jabal Mukabar. The homes there are being finalized and are already being marketed. PA Returns Terrorists to Prison, Says They Were on Leave The Palestinian Authority claimed Tuesday that it allowed two terrorists convicted of the murder of off-duty IDF soldiers Achikam Amichai and David Rubim to leave prison temporarily – either as a furlough or because it feared Israeli forces planned to enter the prison and arrest them, according to differing reports.  PA officials asked the two to return to prison after word of their "escape" reached Israel. The killers, PA employees who were sentenced to 15 years in prison for murdering Amichai and Rubin as they hiked with a friend near the Telem Stream in the Hevron region. The men were spotted wandering the streets of Hevron on Tuesday.  Following reports of their escape, the PA escorted an Israeli state-run TV crew to enter the PA prison in Hevron and see that the two were safely in their cells. The Olmert government had agreed to allow the PA to incarcerate the men instead of ordering the army to apprehend them. Israeli security officials had expressed doubt over the veracity of the escape story, noting that terrorist "escapes" have often been cover stories for the PA's release of terrorist prisoners.  Such prisoners have occasionally "turned themselves in" when Israeli officials threaten to track them down. Attacks in Pre-'67 Southern Israel and J'lem Region Arabs threw rocks at Israeli vehicles on Tuesday evening along the road between Be'er Sheva and Dimona.  No injuries or damage were reported. The attack was one of many that have occurred in recent weeks within Israel's pre-1967 borders.  Several attackers have been arrested, most of them Arab teens with Israeli citizenship. Israeli-Arabs threw three Molotov cocktails at Border Police officers on Tuesday night near the town of Maale Hahamisha, northwest of Jerusalem. The officers were not injured.  The attackers managed to escape. Arab Who Helped IDF Murdered An Arab man in his 60s was murdered in PA-controlled Kalkilya Tuesday evening.  Local Arabs said he was killed for allegedly passing information regarding terrorist activities to Israeli security forces. The man was shot by anonymous attackers firing from a passing car in the center of town.  No group has announced responsibility for the killing. Terror Attacks in Judea and Samaria A terrorist from the Arab village of Beit Omar, between Jerusalem and Hevron, attacked Israelis on Tuesday night, throwing rocks and flaming tires at vehicles.  The attacker was arrested by IDF soldiers, and no injuries were reported. IDF sources say the number of attacks on Israeli motorists has increased dramatically throughout the country, and particularly in Judea and Samaria.  The area around Beit Omar, a village that hosts scores of foreign radical leftist activists, is one of the most frequent sites of attacks. A group of Arabs threw stones at an Israeli bus on Tuesday afternoon near the city of Shechem.  The bus was transporting young students home from school. No injuries were reported in the attack, but the bus was damaged. Police blocked the Gan Shomron Junction in Samaria Tuesday afternoon after finding two hand grenades at the site. Police sappers disarmed the devices. No injuries or damage was reported, but the incident caused heavy traffic back-ups in the area. Arab Worker Stabs Jew in Northern Jerusalem A group of young Jews argued with an Arab worker in the neighborhood of Ramot in Jerusalem on Tuesday evening, and one worker pulled out a screwdriver, stabbing one of the young Jews in the head before fleeing the scene. The Jewish man was very lightly wounded and did not require medical care.  Police launched a search and told reporters that they were investigating whether the Arab acted in self-defense. PA Arab Arrested for Stabbing Employer A Palestinian Authority Arab was arrested by IDF forces on Tuesday morning for stabbing his Israeli employer three months earlier, according to the Bethlehem-based Maan news agency.  The man, 23-year-old Ahmed an-Najjer, was arrested in a village east of Tul Karem. An-Najjer and a 20-year-old colleague stabbed their Israeli employer following a work dispute.  The two believed they had murdered their victim, but the employer survived the attack.  Mortar and Rocket Attacks From Gaza Gaza terrorists fired a mortar shell at the western Negev on Tuesday evening.  The shell landed near the Gaza security barrier south of the Kissufim crossing. Terrorists fired three rockets and four mortar shells at Israeli towns on Tuesday, but failed to cause casualties. IDF Arrests Six Wanted Terrorists IDF soldiers arrested six wanted terrorists early on Wednesday morning.  The detainees were taken to security services for questioning. Soldiers found a Kalashnikov rifle and ammunition while searching a detainee's house northeast of Shechem.  The weapons were confiscated. IAF Attack Wounds Four Gaza Terrorists IAF warplanes successfully hit a rocket launching terrorist cell in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza on Tuesday evening, local Arabs reported.  Four Islamic Jihad terrorists were wounded in the attack, two of them critically. The strike was the first since Saturday night, when IAF pilots hit four Islamic Jihad terrorists as they prepared to fire a rocket from northern Gaza.  Three of the four were killed instantly, and the fourth later died of his wounds.  According to local Arabs, two of the terrorists were responsible for a rocket attack that badly wounded two young brothers in Sderot, and a third was one of Islamic Jihad's top propagandists. Lebanon Accuses, IDF Dismisses Lebanese military officials said Tuesday that an IDF warship was seen off the coast of Lebanon. The vessel was allegedly spotted by members of the United Nations forces in the area. The IDF responded that no IDF ship was present in the area. Government to Join Security Drill The entire government will join a massive security drill planned for April for the first time in Israel's history. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will begin the drill by announcing the outbreak of a mock war.  The government will also practice its response to an attack or natural disaster resulting in a large number of casualties. Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai planned the massive drill as part of the efforts to implement lessons learned from the Second Lebanon War. The government and security forces will practice their ability to give each minister timely, accurate information. Comment on This Story 2. Tzviya Sariel to be Released on Wednesday by Hillel Fendel The pressure apparently worked.  Tzviya Sariel, the 18-year-old girl who has been imprisoned for 3.5 months for refusing to recognize the authority of Israel's legal system in her case, is apparently scheduled to be freed at 2 PM on Wednesday.  The Prosecution has summed up its case, and has said that it would not ask for more than "time served" in the event of a conviction.  Tzviya's family is already preparing for her homecoming. The Case Tzviya Sariel was arrested in early December on charges of having pushed an Arab man who came to harvest olives in her hometown of Elon Moreh, in the Shomron (Samaria).  Upon arrest, she refused to identify herself, accept legal counsel, or otherwise cooperate with the legal system.  She explained that she would have nothing to do with a non-Torah based legal system in Israel that wished to prevent Jews from exercising their rights to the Land of Israel. It is believed that for this reason, she was "punished" by the extended incarceration and extra abuse while in prison. For instance, court dates were pushed off by a month at a time, leaving her imprisoned for the duration, and she was even placed in solitary confinement for various periods - nine days in total - after not agreeing to be strip-searched or stand when prisoners are counted. At one of the most recent court sessions, the Arab complainant essentially withdrew his charges against Tzviya - yet she remained in prison nevertheless. Surprise Hearing on Tuesday Early this morning (Tuesday), she was brought for a sudden and surprise court hearing to the Kfar Saba Magistrates Court - even though the next court session had been scheduled only for April 3.  The prosecution summed up its case, and State Attorney Shir Laufer stated that in the event of a conviction, she does not plan to ask for more jail time than that which Tzviya has already served.  The judge announced that the verdict would be handed down on Wednesday at 2 PM.  Thus, whether or not Tzviya is convicted, she should be out of prison well in time for the Purim holiday, which begins Thursday night. "She was arrested on the eve of Chanukah," a cheerful Tzviya's mother told Arutz-7, "and she will be freed on the eve of Purim.  There's some symbolism to that."  Mrs. Sariel noted that though she brought her daughter some books over the past few weeks, "often they never got to her, or got to her only after many days." Yitzchaki: Inhumane, Illegal, Immoral Harassment "Apparently the public pressure in Israel and even around the world has had an effect in stopping this illegal, inhumane and immoral judicial process," said activist Datia Yitzchaki, who has been closely following the case.  "This has been three and a half months of harassment and abuse by the State Prosecution, the judge, and the Prison Service of an innocent girl." Record Amounts of Purim Sweets for Tzviya The announcement appears likely to put a halt to Yitzchaki's nationwide campaign to gather what appeared to be headed to be the largest Mishloach Manot ever put together. The plan was to collect food and sweets from all over the country and deliver them as a ceremonious Purim food-package to Tzviya in prison - in keeping with the religious obligation to share food-packages with friends and neighbors on the holiday. To this end, food or donations have already been collected from close to 90 towns in Israel and around the world, including the U.S., Australia, Holland, Switzerland, Brazil, England, Belgium, and France.  Yitzchaki, who expressed her amazed bewilderment at the fact that "in modern Israel, a young girl can be imprisoned for such a long period merely because of her beliefs," told Arutz-7 that the plan is still to deliver the Mishloach Manot to Tzviya on the day of Purim, wherever she may be. Yitzchaki admits that there is still a "1% chance" that the Prosecution will continue its torture campaign against Tzviya by not asking specifically for her release tomorrow, "but this appears to be unlikely, as it will be transparent to the entire world."      Comment on This Story 3. Knesset Speaker to German Leader: Our Lives Depend on You by Gil Ronen Addressing German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Knesset, Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik (Labor) said: "on behalf of the State of Israel, I call on you, I ask you, when you return home to Germany, to stand at the head of the European camp that will do everything necessary to prevent Iran from creating a [nuclear] bomb.  Do not deny us this request. "Mrs. Merkel," she said, "our lives depend on your intensive efforts.  If you fail, if we fail, no one will be able ever again to claim innocence… The world leaders say to us:  'Don't worry!  They won't manage it; they won't succeed in building weapons of mass destruction.  It will take another three years, or four – don't worry.' Our friends from Germany – we are worried. Only sixty, seventy years after that bitter experience, we are not willing to take risks.  We cannot calm down when we are told: They won't manage to do it and it will take a long time, don't worry.  We have had very bitter experience, so did you." The Knesset Speaker added: "On behalf of the millions of children in Israel and their mothers, on behalf of the fathers who do not want war, I turn to you again and ask you: Rise up and take action, do not remain silent!" Merkel: Israel's Security is 'non-negotiable' Merkel did not remain silent, at least while she was in the Knesset. "If Iran were to obtain nuclear weapons, it would have disastrous consequences," she said in her speech to the Knesset Tuesday. "We have to prevent this." In the speech, which was given in German, Merkel said Germany would always be committed to Israel's security, particularly in view of growing threats from Iran. "Especially in this place," she said, "I emphasize: Every German government and every chancello Merkel will not meeting PA Arab leaders during her current trip to Israel. r before me was committed to the special responsibility Germany has for Israel's security. This historic responsibility is part of my country's fundamental policy. It means that for me, as a German chancellor, Israel's security is non-negotiable." 'I bow before the survivors' Merkel began her speech with a Hebrew sentence, thanking the Knesset for giving her the "great honor" of addressing it in German. She immediately paid tribute to those killed by Nazi Germany during World War II. "The mass murder of six million Jews, carried out in the name of Germany, has brought indescribable suffering to the Jewish people, Europe and the entire world," she said. Merkel expressed support for a "two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," but also said Israel does not need unsolicited advice from outsiders. Using the Hebrew word for the Holocaust, Merkel added: "The Shoah fills us Germans with shame. I bow before the victims. I bow before the survivors and before all those who helped them survive."   Merkel, who will not meeting PA Arab leaders during her current trip to Israel, expressed support for a "two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," but also said Israel does not need unsolicited advice from outsiders. Several Knesset Members refused to attend the occasion, in protest of the fact that Merkel was given the right to address the Knesset in German. Still, About 1,000 guests listened to Merkel, including Holocaust survivors, religious leaders, former Israeli presidents and residents of Sderot. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert praised Merkel for what he called her "strong and determined position against the horrific calls from the president of Iran to wipe Israel off the map and against Teheran's trickery and deceit." Before Merkel addressed the plenum, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu said although German society was currently fighting against anti-Semitism and neo-Nazism, "the scars of the past are very deep and can't be treated in a single generation, if they can be treated at all." Comment on This Story 4. Purim Beginner Read-Alouds in Parks and Private Homes by Hillel Fendel Meir Shwartz of the Lev Yehudi (Jewish Heart) association says Tel Aviv will be saturated this year with public Book of Esther readings for people who "don't yet feel comfortable" entering a synagogue. "The idea has suddenly mushroomed," Shwartz told Arutz-7.  "Just like on Yom Kippur over the past three years, when beginners' prayer services are organized in schools and community centers for those for whom a synagogue is somewhat foreboding, now it's happening on Purim as well." The Purim holiday begins at sundown on the 14th of the month of Adar - the 15th in Jerusalem and other selected cities - with a festive public reading of the Book of Esther, sometimes known as the Megillah.  The reading recounts the momentous events that befell the sizeable Jewish community of the Persian Empire shortly after the destruction of the First Holy Temple, some 2,500 years ago.  The evil vizier Haman, of Amalekite stock, conspired to have the Jews totally wiped out - but his plans were overturned when King Ahasuerus finally realized that his heretofore trusted advisor had duped him into ordering the annihilation of his own Queen Esther's people.  The sudden nature of the miraculous overturning of events render the Purim holiday and the Megillah reading a time of merry-making and costumes. Children and others wave graggers (noisemakers) and otherwise drown out the name of Haman whenever it is read aloud.  Despite the fun, many unknowledgeable Jews have apparently felt intimidated by the atmosphere, and the Megillat Esther festivities remained off-limits for most of them - until now.  Looking for Readers Unofficial Megillah readings will take place in private homes, outdoor parks, yards between apartment buildings, "Bayit Yehudi" [Jewish Home] centers, and many other places, and interest has been very high.  "People are getting together through their places of work, neighborhoods, or in other ways," Shwartz said.  "In many places, all that's missing is a Baal Koreh [someone who can read aloud the un-voweled Megillah with the proper punctuation and musical intonations].  Those who wish to volunteer to read can phone me at 050-798613 and I will try to set them up." Jewish Houses Opening Up All Over Shwartz says that in the Tel Aviv area, interest in traditional Judaism continues to be high, especially in neighborhoods that are generally considered bastions of the "modern secular" crowd such as Sheinkin and Florentin.  "We have another Jewish House being built in southern Tel Aviv, to be headed by the very dynamic and special  Rabbi Eitan HaCohen. He does an amazing thing: Every Thursday morning at 11 AM, he gives a class in the weekly Torah portion in a cafe in Florentin - attended by lots of people you never would have dreamt would come. It's very remarkable.  And another Jewish Home is being put up in central TA, by Rosh Yehudi [Jewish Mindset]..." Regarding other outreach activities, Shwartz said, "A whole group of young yeshiva families is moving from Kanei Shomron to Givatayim, and another group is moving from Beit El to Tel Aviv, and there are more."  Asked if this "soul/body drain" might be a source of concern to the already beleaguered Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria (Yesha), Shwartz said, "Not at all.  The religious-Zionist public, thank G-d, is a large community, and the towns in Yesha are strong."  Rents are High He admitted, however, that the cost of rent in Tel Aviv and environs is much higher than in Yesha: "This is a problem, and we have been in touch with our supporters about this..."  From the outside, it appears that though high rents may be a problem, for now, it does not appear to be stopping Jews who wish to move to central Israel and reach out to their brothers from doing so. Comment on This Story 5. Second Temple Half-Shekel Found in Jerusalem Dig by Ezra HaLevi A half-shekel coin from the Second Temple was found in excavations in the City of David, just below and east of Jerusalem's Old City. The upcoming Purim festival features the half-shekel prominently in its observance. The ancient silver coin was discovered in an archaeological excavation that is being conducted in the main Second Temple-era drainage channel of Jerusalem. The foreign coin is of the denomination used during the turbulent Second Temple period to pay the Biblical half-shekel head-tax. This coming Thursday night (Saturday night for Jerusalemites), before reading the Megillah (Scroll) of Esther, Jews worldwide will contribute a sum of money to charity in remembrance of that half-shekel command. "Just like today when coins sometimes fall from our pockets and roll into drainage openings at the side of the street, that's how it was some two thousand years ago – a man was on his way to the Temple and the shekel which he intended to use for paying the half shekel head-tax found its way into the drainage channel," theorized archaeologist Eli Shukron of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The excavations are directed by Shukron and Professor Ronny Reich of the University of Haifa. They are being conducted on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Nature and Parks Authority and the Ir David Foundation. The commandment to pay the half shekel to the Temple is in the weekly Torah portion of Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-16): And the L-rd spoke to Moshe, saying: When you take the sum of the children of Yisrael after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to the L-rd, when you count them; that there be no plague among them, when you put a number to them. This they shall give, every one that passes among them that are to be counted, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, (a shekel is twenty gera), a half shekel shall be the offering for the L-rd. Every one that passes among them that are counted, from twenty years old and above, shall give the offering of the L-rd. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give the offering of the Lord, to make atonement for your souls. And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Yisrael, and shall designate it for the service of the Tent of Meeting; that it may be a memorial to the children of Yisrael before the L-rd, to make atonement for your souls. At the time of the temple's construction, every Jew was commanded to make an obligatory donation of a half shekel to the edifice. This modest sum allowed all Jews, of all economic levels, to participate in the building the Temple. After the construction was completed, they continued to collect the tax from every Jew for the purpose of purchasing the public sacrifices and renewing the furnishings of the Temple. The collection occurred every year on the first day of the month of Adar when the "heralding of the shekelim" took place, that is to say the beginning of the collection of the money and it ended on the first day of the month of Nissan, when 'there is a new budget' in the temple and the purchase of public sacrifices was renewed. The annual half shekel head-tax was later donated in shekels and half shekels from the Tyre mint where they were struck from the year 125 BCE until the outbreak of the Great Revolt in 66 CE. At the time of the uprising, the tax was paid using Jerusalem shekalim, which were specifically struck for this purpose. In the rabbinic sources, the Tosefta (Ketubot 13:20) states: "Silver mentioned in the Five Books of Moses is always Tyrian silver: What is Tyrian silver? It is Jerusalemite." Many have interpreted this to mean that only Tyrian shekels could be used to pay the half shekel head-tax at the Jerusalem temple. The shekel that was found in the excavation weighs 13 grams and bears the head of Melqart, the chief deity of the city of Tyre (equivalent to the Semitic god Baal) on the obverse and an eagle upon a ship's prow on the reverse. The coin was struck in the year 22 CE. Despite the importance of the half-shekel head-tax for the economy of Jerusalem in the Second Temple period, only seven other Tyrian shekels and half shekels were heretofore found in the excavations in Jerusalem. Comment on This Story 6. Education Ministry Hopes to Set Stringent Teacher Requirements by Hillel Fendel The Education Ministry submitted proposed legislation to the Knesset on Tuesday, compelling all teachers in Israel to be licensed - or else face up to a year in jail.  The proposal, a year in the making, stipulates that would-be teachers in Israel must pass a strict set of requirements, including an academic degree, a teacher's certificate, licensing tests, and a year in training. Teaching Without a License Could Cost a Year in Prison Teachers currently in the system will not be immediately subject to the new requirements.  A new teacher, however, who teaches without a license will face an internal Education Ministry disciplinary committee, which - the new bill states - will be authorized to sentence him or her to a jail term of up to a year.  A school that hires such a teacher will be fined. Teachers are to be trained in groups of subject matter.  For instance, math teachers will also be trained in computer science and engineering - and will not be able to teach subjects in which they were not trained. Similarly, teachers trained only for elementary schools will not be able to teach in high schools, and vice-versa.  Education Minister Yuli Tamir said, "This bill will place the discipline of teaching in its worthy place." The Irgun Teachers Union thinks otherwise.  "Junior high and high school teachers already must have a college degree, plus another year or two of supplementary studies," spokeswoman Keren Shaked told Arutz-7, "so I'm not sure what it comes to add.  Perhaps this bill deals with elementary school teachers... The part about jail terms appears, on the surface, to be baseless."  A request for clarification from the Education Ministry has been submitted, and an answer has been promised "within hours." Yossi Wasserman, chairman of Israel's other large teachers union, the Histadrut, said he would express his opinion after "our pedagogical committee and legal advisors study the bill."   Comment on This Story 7. Two-Year-Old Anti-Islam Book Infuriates Moslems by Hillel Fendel Al-Arabiya reports - 16 months late - that a U.S. weekly will distribute free copies of a book associating Islam with terrorism. Hamas is up in arms. The Al-Arabiya.net site reports that a right-wing U.S. newspaper, Human Events, plans to distribute free copies of a book by Robert Spencer, entitled The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion.  The Arab site's report, replete with innuendoes implying that the book is anti-Muslim, quotes British writer Karen Armstrong as stating that the book is "written in hatred," contains "basic and bad mistakes of fact," and that the author "deliberately manipulates the evidence." The Hamas website responded with fury to the news of the book's dissemination, strongly attacking what it calls the "campaign by Western extremists against the religion of Islam and values that are sacred to Moslems."  The Hamas site states that the dissemination of Spencer's work is "another in a series of actions designed to distort the image of Islam in the public eye.  This follows the re-publication of the Muhammad caricatures in Denmark and the intention of a Dutch Parliament Member to air a movie against Islam." Spencer Rebuts Spencer himself responded to the latest report with cynicism, writing, "Al-Arabiya discovers a sixteen-month-old promotion for my book The Truth About Muhammad, and the spittle starts flying. As for the [sub-]headline of their piece [which reads: "Book is said to contain lies and hate"], I challenge anyone at Al-Arabiya, or anyone anywhere, to substantiate a single lie or hateful statement within the book." Spencer writes that the report is old news, and that "this promotion has gone out many times over the last year and a half."  More to the point, Spencer responds to Karen Armstrong's points directly, beginning with, "Actually, it was Karen Armstrong... who committed 'basic and bad mistakes of fact' and perhaps 'deliberately manipulate[d] the evidence' in her truth-free review of my book..." The Al-Arabiya report notes, "[Spencer's] book claims that Muhammad said terrorism made him victorious and that he used to tempt people with paradise so they would crush his enemies" - to which Spencer retorted, "Yeah, I made all that up, and cast it into the canonical hadith [collection of traditions] by means of my Zionist black arts."  Spencer then cites chapter and verse to back up his claim: "'I have been made victorious with terror' -- so says Muhammad not according to me, but according to Bukhari (Vol. 4, Book 52, Number 220). Sahih Bukhari is the hadith collection, that is, the collection of traditions of Muhammad, that Muslims consider most reliable." Spencer quotes another hadith to back up his claim about Muhammad tempting would-be martyrs with paradise: "On the day of the battle of Uhud, a man came to the Prophet and said, 'Can you tell me where I will be if I should get martyred?' The Prophet replied, 'In Paradise.' The man threw away some dates he was carrying in his hand, and fought till he was martyred" (Bukhari Volume 5, Book 59, Number 377). Muhammad: Kill Any Jew Spencer also documents in detail how Muhammad breached the Treaty of Hudaybiya with the Meccan tribe of Quraish.  Regarding the Moslem leader's order to kill Jews, Spencer writes, "both of the earliest biographers of Muhammad, Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Sa'd, both zealous Muslims, record his telling his followers at a certain point: 'Kill any Jew that falls into your power.'" After backing up other claims in his book, Spencer concludes, "The troubling aspect of all this for the folks at Al-Arabiya, as I show by the citations above, is that everything I say in the book is true, and it is they who are either lying or ignorant about what the earliest Islamic texts say about Muhammad." The book by Spencer aroused strong negative reactions in the Moslem world when it was published in 2006, and has been banned in Pakistan. Comment on This Story 8. Meretz Chooses Oron as Its New Leader by Gil Ronen Knesset Member Chaim Oron, one of the founders of the 'Peace Now' movement, was elected as the new chairman of the Meretz party Tuesday. He replaces MK Yossi Beilin, who has headed Meretz since 2004. Oron received 54.5 percent of the vote. The runner-up, MK Ran Cohen, garnered about 27%, and MK Zehava Galon received 18% in the near-final tally.  Meretz is the Knesset's left-most faction, among the factions which call themselves Zionist. Born in 1940, Oron was known since childhood by the nickname 'Joomas,' the Arab name for the fruit of the sycamore tree. A native of Ramat Gan, he joined the Kibbutz (collective community) of Lahav after his army service. Lahav is situated near the presumed site of the biblical Tziklag in the northern Negev. At the age of 24 he became the Secretary of the youth movement HaShomer HaTzair, which is affiliated with the far left. Oron was a farmer and teacher, and managed the Dolev plastic factory jointly owned by Lahav and a neighboring kibbutz, Dvir. He was among the founders of Peace Now, an organization which regularly demonstrates against wars and in favor of Israeli retreats, and which has recently faced charges of fraud. He was elected to the Knesset in 1988 as a representative of Mapam, the "Unified Workers' Party," which later merged with other parties to form Meretz. When the Knesset approved a law that legalized broadcasting by the Arutz 7 radio station, he filed a petition to the High Court. The petition was accepted and, in 2003, the radio station was closed down. Since then, the right-leaning public in Israel has had no radio station. In his victory speech Tuesday Oron said: "I want to answer those who say that Meretz is no longer a relevant party: when Shas takes us years backward, who can deal with it? When the Defense Minister, who claims to lead the peace camp, does not remove a single roadblock [in Judea and Samaria – ed.], only Meretz is committed to fighting for peace." Some of runner-up Cohen's followers said yesterday that the voting was unfair, and that kibbutz members voted massively for Oron. Livna, a Cohen supporter, told Nrg: "20 years ago I left Likud because I thought that only people like Ran Cohen would make the social change. Now I see that Meretz may even be worse than the Likud central assembly. It is like the Arab clans. All the kibbutzim voted for Joomas because he one of theirs." About one third of Meretz's registered members are from the kibbutz communities. Comment on This Story

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