Israel

Tragedy in Elad

Three fathers were murdered in a brutal terror attack on Thursday evening in Elad, as Israel’s Independence Day celebrations were drawing to a close.

Early on Friday morning, the three who were killed were named: Yonatan Havakuk, a father of five children; Boaz Gol, also a father of five; and Oren Ben Yiftah, a father of six.

According to eyewitnesses, two terrorists attacked several people with an axe and a knife at a central park in the charedi city of Elad. The attack left two other victims in serious condition; their conditions are still serious, but they are stable.

Havakuk, who was in his 40s, was described as “acheinu,” “our brother” – an always-smiling, friendly face who worked at a local garage.

Local resident Yaakov Bar Noi told Haaretz that Havakuk was “a wonderful person” and that his “acheinu” nickname came from his habit of calling everyone “acheinu.”

“He always had a smile on his face,” Bar Noi added, noting that Havakuk would do the work for free if the person could not pay.

Havakuk was killed when he went outside to search for his son.

Ben Yiftah, who worked as a driver, was found to have unwittingly driven the terrorists to a synagogue in Elad, after being told that they were involved in construction work at the site. Upon arrival at the synagogue, the terrorists took an axe to Ben Yiftah, brutally killing him.

Just prior to his fatal drive, Ben Yiftah had transported a rabbi to a Torah class.

Funerals for the three were held on Friday.

Following the attack, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai ordered law enforcement to begin a nationwide operation against Palestinians who illegally enter Israel from the West Bank along with those who assist them. By Monday, at least 851 Palestinians who had been in Israel illegally and 91 people suspected of aiding had been detained in the sweep.

The two murderers, Subhi Emad Subhi Abu Shqeir and As’ad Yousef As’ad al-Rifa’I, were finally arrested by police after a 60-hour manhunt. They had been found in a field not far from the attack. The pair had been to Elad numerous times for work and were familiar with the area.

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Tanach Tie

The International Bible Contest for Youth, held on Israel’s 74th Independence Day, ended with a tie: Dvir Chaim Mertzbach and Hillel Cohen, who had competed head-to-head, both passed the final round with an equal number of points.

According to Arutz Sheva, both winners are from Israel: Mertzbach studies in the Amit Yeshiva in Tzfat, while Cohen studies in the Hartman High School in Jerusalem. The young men ended the contest with 142 points each.

Towards the end, Hillel, who answered his final question first, asked the audience to give his opponent a bit of quiet to think.

In third and fourth place are Yitzhak Spivak of the USA, and Yaakov Weinstein of South Africa, respectively.

Following the conclusion of the contest, Ofer Hadad, who was asking the questions, called Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Israeli President Isaac Herzog to the stage to distribute the prizes.

Turning to Israel’s youth, Bennett said, “Let’s learn from our nation’s heroes to take responsibility – to get up and act. If something is not the way it should be – act.”

He added, “Initiate, act, work, and never, ever – never give up. Turn our beloved State of Israel into an amazing country. Finalists, every single one of you did something, invested, learned, and again – and this is how you achieved your great achievement here. I am very proud of you.”

Rabbi Yoram Rosenbaum, dean of the Amit High School Yeshiva in Tzfat, congratulated his student, saying, “Dvir, a son of the city of Tzfat, is a young Torah scholar, curious, diligent in Torah study, and above all, has a good heart and a desire to bring blessing and light to the world. He has brought great pride to the yeshiva and to the entire city of Tzfat. We are all happy that we have merited to learn with him and to learn from him in yeshiva.”

Terrorists’ Homes to be Demolished

The IDF on Sunday said that its troops were operating in the Palestinian Authority (PA) town of Rumana, where the two Arabs suspected of carrying out a deadly terror attack in Elad live.

During their operation, the troops mapped out the terrorists’ homes, in preparation for a future demolition.

The terrorists, arrested Sunday morning, were named as As’ad Yousef As’ad al-Rifa’i, 19, and Subhi Emad Sbeihat, 20. Al-Rifa’i confessed to attacking Oren Ben Yiftah, Yonatan Havakuk, and Elad Gol with an axe at the end of Independence Day, together with Sbeihat.

In addition to the axe, it is believed that the terrorists also used a knife.

According to Channel 12 News, security forces located an item soaked in blood, as well as a tree showing evidence of having been hit with an axe.

Second Lieutenant Y., a deputy commander in an elite IDF unit, detailed how forces located the murderers. “We identified a clump of weeds in the thicket, moving at a breathing rate. We realized the terrorists were there. We surprised them, pulled them out, and they did not resist.”

He added that the terrorists’ hideout was “not bad at all, but they still stood out” to the forces.

The terrorists “were in total shock and completely exhausted,” he added.

Did Bennett Bend to Jordan?

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Tuesday pushed back against reports that Israel has agreed to a Jordanian request expanding Muslim control over the Temple Mount.

In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office that day, Bennett denied that Israel had acceded to a Jordanian demand that Israel allow the Waqf – the Jordan-based Islamic trust which administers the Temple Mount – to assign an additional 50 personnel to the site.

“This is an event that took place about a month and a half ago. Indeed, about a month and a half ago, a Jordanian request was received to increase the Waqf presence on the Temple Mount by 50 guards but Israel did not find it appropriate to accede to the request,” Bennett said.

The prime minister added that the status quo on the Temple Mount remains intact and emphasized that Israel will not permit foreign states to dictate policy on the holy site.

“In practice: Six Hamas-backed Waqf guards were removed from the Temple Mount, and 12 new Waqf positions were manned — all within the existing standards, without any increase.

“There is no change or new development in the situation on the Temple Mount – Israel’s sovereignty has been preserved,” Bennett added.

“All decisions on the Temple Mount will be made by the Israeli government out of considerations of sovereignty, freedom of religion and security, and not out of pressure from foreign or political factors.”

On Monday, Kan 11 reported that Public Security Minister Omer Barlev (Labor) and Israel Police have agreed to the Jordanian government’s demands for an increased Waqf presence on the Temple Mount.

The report followed an ultimatum by the United Arab List that the government agree to Jordan’s terms or lose the UAL’s support in the Knesset.

Israel to Target Hamas Leaders

Israel has allegedly told foreign allies that it is preparing teams to carry out targeted assassinations of Hamas leaders abroad, the Times of Israel reported.

Britain’s The Times newspaper on Monday quoted unnamed intelligence sources as saying that a “clear message” needs to be sent to Hamas.

Though Hamas has not claimed responsibility for most of the terror attacks taking place in Israel since late March, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has repeatedly called on “Palestinians” to assault Israelis, praised terrorists, and encouraged additional violence.

The terror group also claimed responsibility for a terror attack which left a security guard dead at the entrance to the city of Ariel last week and promised additional similar attacks in the future.

Proposals have been made in Israel to target Sinwar himself, but, accord-