Gaza Missile Attacks On Jewish Communities Continue

Jerusalem – Missiles and mortar shells were fired yesterday at 12 Jewish communities north of Gaza. One missile made a direct hit on a house in Sderot, devastating the bathroom and the kitchen of the home, while the family was taking cover in the living room.

Another mortar shell landed on the roof of a medical clinic in a community in the western Negev. The building, which was fortified, was damaged, as was medical equipment inside. Earlier, six missiles rockets blew up in open areas in the western Negev and at the entrance to one of the kibbutzim in the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council area.

Barak Instructs IDF To Remove A Roadblock In Nablus

In response to Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s instructions, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) dismantled Roadblock 408, which separated Nablus from the village Asira Ashamaliya to the north of the city. Palestinian vehicles transporting either innocent civilians or armed terrorists can move freely about the large expanse of northern Samaria without being subject to inspection.

The area of free movement lies between Nablus and Jenin. Israeli military officials told the media that as a result of intensive action against the terrorists, the danger of terrorism in the area had diminished significantly. With that being the case, Israel can afford to take the risk of removing roadblocks.

Roadblock 408 was positioned at an intersection between the Nablus-Jenin road, near the sensitive Israeli mountain military base at Mount Eival. Now military vehicles that are making their way to and from Mount Eival will pass by Palestinian traffic that has not been subjected to IDF security inspection.

IDF Central Command officers were opposed to removing the roadblock. However, the defense minister demanded that the IDF remove at least one of the roadblocks that blockade the city. The political echelon left it up to the IDF to decide which roadblock to remove, and Central Command officers decided that the removal of Roadblock 408 would cause the least damage.

This step to remove roadblocks was made in response to a directive given to Israel by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Nudel Campaigns To Stay Execution Of Condemned Palestinian

Ida Nudel, the world-renowned former Prisoner of Zion, has appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on behalf of Ima’ad Sa’ad, a Palestinian who has been sentenced to death by a Palestinian Authority (PA) military court. Mr. Sa’ad, 25 years old, was convicted by the court on charges that his assistance to Israel’s security forces led to the killing of four Palestinian terrorists.

The PA is quick to carry out death sentences such as these without prior notification.

Ms. Nudel, represented by Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of the human rights organization Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center, has demanded that Mr. Olmert assert pressure on the PA to immediately stay the execution. She has also appealed to Mr. Olmert to raise the issue with third parties, such as the United States and the European Union.

Ms. Nudel described the sentence as “inhuman” and has demanded the complete suspension of any talks taking place between Israel and the PA until the execution is stayed. She also suggested that the Palestinian donor conference to be held in Bethlehem be boycotted. Ms. Nudel demanded the suspension of Israeli and international assistance packages – including packages from the European Union, the United Nations and the Vatican – to the PA.

“If these diplomatic measures are not sufficient,” writes Ms. Nudel, “Israel should employ its skilled military to launch a rescue operation for Ima’ad Sa’ad.”

Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Vatican’s former apostolic nuncio to Israel and now apostolic nuncio to the United States, joined in a suit five years ago with Ms. Nudel to force the PA to stay the execution in a similar case and have the individual’s sentence commuted from death to life with hard labor.

Ms. Nudel, Archbishop Sambi and Darshan-Leitner also worked on the cases of 50 Palestinians who were convicted in Palestinian military courts of working with Israel’s security services. The PA agreed to cancel the death sentences from the table.

Hezbollah Prisoner To Wed In Prison

Samir Kuntar, a senior Hezbollah prisoner who is doing five life terms in Israel for his role in the murder of the Haran family from Nahariya, is about to wed in prison.

The intended bride is Fada Said Abdullah, 32, a resident of the Kafr Akeb neighborhood in north Jerusalem who has an Israeli ID card. The bride was also once a security prisoner. In 2004, she was imprisoned after she exploited her job as a nurse in the Red Crescent to relay messages between Fatah and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

It is believed that Mr. Kuntar met his future wife by means of letters they exchanged through lawyers.

In 2004, Israel refused to release Mr. Kuntar in the deal to return the bodies of the three Israeli soldiers who were kidnapped and murdered by the Hezbollah along with Elhanan Tannenbaum, an Israeli drug dealer.

Hezbollah secretary general Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has declared several times in the past that there would be no prisoner exchanges without Mr. Kuntar’s release.

Kuntar: ‘I’m Proud Of What I Did’

On April 22, 1979, a cell of four terrorists, commanded by Mr. Kuntar, landed on the Nahariya beach.

They entered a residential building and burst into the apartment of the Haran family. The four took hostage Danny Haran, 31, and his daughter Einat, 4. The mother, Smadar, and daughter Yael (2 years old) managed to hide in the attic. The mother, who was scared the terrorists would hear her daughter crying and screaming, stopped up her mouth. The child then choked to death in her mother’s arms.

When the Arab terrorists tried to go back to sea to return to Lebanon with their hostages, they were pursued, and in the exchanges of fire, policeman Eliyahu Shaham was killed. When Mr. Kuntar realized he would not be able to get away with the hostages, he shot Mr. Haran point blank, killing him. Afterward, he crushed Einat’s skull.

Two of the cell members were killed in the battle. Mr. Kuntar and another cell member, Ahmed Avres, were arrested and put on trial. Mr. Kuntar was sentenced to four life sentences plus 47 years – all together 547 years in prison. Mr. Avres was released in an exchange of 1,100 Palestinian convicts in exchange for seven Israeli soldiers in 1985.

In the course of his years in prison, Mr. Kuntar successfully completed his studies in the political science department of the Open University of Israel.

Mr. Kuntar has never expressed remorse for his acts. On the Web site operated by his brother, Mr. Kuntar recently declared: “I am full of pride for what I did. I don’t have an ounce of regret.” He added: “We must not give up on the armed struggle against the Israeli enemy.”

Bush’s Visit To Lack Three-Way Summit

The White House issued a statement Monday night noting that, in the course of President George Bush’s visit to the Middle East, he would not hold a summit between Israeli and Arab leaders and that he had no intention of visiting the PA territories.

The president will meet with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Cairo, where he will also meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordanian King Abdullah II.

By so doing, Mr. Bush accepted the position held by Mr. Olmert, who was opposed to scheduling a meeting.

The White House noted that Mr. Bush would be visiting Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel May 13-18. The purpose of the visit is defined as a gesture by the American president in honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary celebrations and in order to show involvement in the Middle Eastern peace process, according to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino.

In the Knesset, Mr. Bush will meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik.

President Bush will also address the Knesset during a festive session.

David Bedein can be reached at Media@actcom.co.il. His Web site is www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com

©The Bulletin 2008