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#Arab_Lives_Matter: Activists demand to stop raging crime in Arab sector

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#Arab_Lives_Matter: Activists demand to stop raging crime in Arab sector
The hashtag #Arab_Lives_Matter, alongside its Arabic and Hebrew translations, has been gaining traction on Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms, targeted at raising awareness of the incessant shootings and killings plaguing the Arab communities in Israel over the recent weeks.

“Should have been obvious that ALL lives matter, including Arab lives, but apparently it is not. And here we are, yet another murdered Arab citizen of Israel.” posted Mira Awad, Arab-Israeli singer, actress and songwriter, after three Arab citizens were killed in the past 24 hours in shootings across the country.

The Abraham Initiatives group, an organization of Jewish and Arab citizens working to create a shared, functioning and integrative society, fashioned a symbol for the movement which many are retweeting. Thousands used the hashtag over the past day, making the term trending on Twitter by Wednesday morning.

“Meretz joins the protest and commits to acting from within the government to stop the lawlessness,” reads a post by the left-wing party. “We won’t stop until we put an end to this.”

Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev also tweeted the hashtag. “Decades of neglect, ignorance and fear of confronting the issues in the Arab communities, along with the assumption that ‘so long as they’re killing each other, it’s their problem,'” wrote Bar Lev. “I have done more to deal with the crime in the Arab sector than has been done in the past several decades.”

Likud spokesman Eli Hazan responded to the hashtag trend by posting on social media: “All lives matter.” Other Twitter users used the phrase alongside “Jewish lives matter” in Hebrew, while others responded in fury and used the hashtag in irony or resentment.

“The State of Israel has a responsibility to solve this, but so does the public, including the Arab community and its leaders,” Yaya Fink, CEO of Darkenu, told The Jerusalem Post. The 420,000 strong community protested this morning in front of the Prime Minister’s office in Tel Aviv, carrying a coffin marked with the words, “A good Arab is a living Arab.” The statement comes to negate a well-known racial slur, “A good Arab is a dead Arab” and protest the fact that the Israeli community and leadership seem to choose to be powerless bystanders while the crime rates soar.
“Eighty-eight murder victims from the beginning of the year is an unbelievable number,” says Fink. “Our country knows how to handle incredibly complex situations, like bringing in the Iranian nuclear archives or demolishing tunnel infrastructures in Gaza. Our country can definitely confiscate the illegal weapons in the Arab community.”

Darkenu, comprised mostly of Jewish activists but with a growing representation of Arab participants, is joining hands with groups like the Abraham Initiatives as well as student unions to try to raise this issue to the top of the national interest.

“This is where are tested as a Jewish and democratic state, in our attitude towards the minorities living among us,” claims Fink. “I say this as a religious man as well. We’re certain that if such a thing were to happen in the Jewish community, a lot more resources would have been put forth towards this issue.”

Israel Police on Wednesday morning announced that over 1,000 weapons have been confiscated over the past 9 months in the northern district of Israel in an effort to combat the crime in the Arab sector.

Still, security forces have been unable to contain or even diminish the wave of shooting incidents, which have reached multiple deaths per week. A volunteer police officer in his 30s was run over Tuesday night and died of his wounds; the driver was arrested and is suspected of murder and attempted murder. Two men were shot to death on the eve of Yom Kippur, in addition to two more on Tuesday night.

“Chaos reigns unchecked. Where is the police?” tweeted Furat Nassar in a video showing a man firing several shots in the air in the middle of a crowded street in Nazareth in broad daylight.

“This is one of the country’s most significant moral tests,” concludes Fink. “This must be one of the top priorities of the new government.”

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Father of fallen soldier urges world: Acknowledge Gazan civilians’ role in Oct. 7

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Father of fallen soldier urges world: Acknowledge Gazan civilians’ role in Oct. 7



The father of the late Sgt. Roni Eshel, z” l, who was tragically murdered by Hamas on October 7, urged the world to acknowledge that Gazan civilians were among those who infiltrated Israel and carried out the massacre that resulted in the deaths of 1,200 individuals.

“A lot of terrorist people came into Israel, but not just terrorist people – civilians – that are asking for humanitarian help today from the whole world,” Eyal Eshel said at The Jerusalem Post Women Leaders Summit in Tel Aviv on Wednesday evening. “Remember, there were terrorists, a lot of terrorists, and civilians.”

Eshel was at the event to receive the Woman of Valor award on behalf of his daughter, a vigilant soldier who bravely fought against Hamas. She was among those who had forewarned about Hamas’s impending actions on that fateful day.

Eyal Eshel (center) receives the Woman of Valor award on behalf of his daughter, the late Sgt. Roni Eshel on March 27, 2024 (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Remembering Sgt. Roni Eshel

“She was a beautiful girl,” Eshel said of his daughter, who served as a surveillance soldier at the Nahal Oz base near Kibbutz Nahal Oz. The base was among the most brutally hit during the attack. Fifteen surveillance soldiers were killed, and six more were taken hostage on October 7. In total, 66 troops were killed in the attack on the base. “Her smile is the only thing we have today – a memory of Roni.”

Before the event, Eshel told The Jerusalem Post that Roni “began smiling just two hours after her birth” and radiated joy throughout her life. He said she embraced life passionately, cherished her friendships, reveled in celebrations, and deeply loved food. Cooking, particularly Asian and Italian dishes, was something at which Roni excelled.

Roni was 19 years and seven months old when she was murdered.

Learn more about the Women Leaders Summit.

Watch the summit.





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Saudi commentator reveals Israel’s new tactic that shook Hezbollah and Iran

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Saudi commentator reveals Israel’s new tactic that shook Hezbollah and Iran



Assad Awad, the military commentator from the Saudi channel Al-Hadath, appeared on the channel on Thursday. He addressed the situation in Israel’s north and analyzed the IDF’s tactics in the region.

Awad addressed Israel’s conflict between Hezbollah and Iran. Speaking on the conflict, Awad suggested, “Israel was surprised by the extent of the tunnels in Gaza and the military methods [of Hamas,] and it has adopted a new strategy for regional deterrence,” he said at the outset.

In the heart of civilian villages: Hezbollah’s weapon production

In the initial stage, according to Awad, “Israel severely hit Iranian shipment operations to the region and destroyed many weapon shipments that were on their way from Iran.

“In the next stage, warehouses in eastern Syria were attacked and destroyed. [The warehouses] contain[ed] weapons that could have been deployed to the border with Israel within hours. In fact, it undermined Iran’s supply lines to Hezbollah and Iranian militias in the region.

The exterior of a house damaged by a rocket fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, near Israel’s border with Lebanon in northern Israel. March 19, 2024. (credit: CARLOS GARCIA RAWLINS/REUTERS)

“All these actions may serve as a prelude to more significant activities, which may include the destruction of Hezbollah tunnels or at least disrupting the fortifications along the border with Lebanon, stretching over 79 kilometers, as well as in the Golan Heights area, which is expected to be much more challenging.”

Awad went on to clarify that “Geographically, the Golan Heights area – facing Shebaa Farms, is a tough terrain considered a Hezbollah stronghold. Israeli airstrikes will not be advantageous there, and Israel will need to show creativity in finding new operational tactics.”

In his remarks, he referred to the Mountains Brigade, which will begin its operations in the coming weeks – at the height of the war, and will operate in the sectors of Mount Hermon and Mount Dov. 

“Forces in the Mountains Brigade participated in the 2006 war and come with a deep familiarity with Hezbollah’s tunnels,'” he said.

“In recent weeks, Hezbollah has begun building tunnels from Syria to Lebanon, aiming to transfer weapons from the arsenals, but at this stage, there is no benefit in tunnels. I estimate 70%-80% of the arsenals have been destroyed,” Awad theorized. “This is expected to delay any plan Hezbollah seeks to implement, and this may be Israel’s opportunity.”

Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.





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Gazan support for a two-state-solution doubled since December – poll

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Gazan support for a two-state-solution doubled since December – poll



According to recent polling, the proportion of Gazans who support a two-state solution has nearly doubled since December, from 35% to 62%.

The polling, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR), was conducted between March 5 and 10 in the West Bank and areas of the Gaza Strip where there was “no ongoing daily fighting.”

The PCPSR conducted previous surveys in September and December 2023, during which the change in support for a two-state solution by Gazans was minimal, 34% to 35%, respectively. 

Compared to Gaza, support for a two-state solution in the West Bank barely grew, from 30% in Septemeber 2023 to 33% by December and 34% by March.

The PCPSR links support for a two-state solution to the feasibility of the solution and the chances of a Palestinian state.

Security personnel guard trucks carrying aid as they arrive in Rafah, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the southern Gaza Strip January 17, 2024. (credit: MOHAMMED SALEM/REUTERS)

Palestinians split on achieving a Palestinian State

The data also showed a clear drop in support for armed resistance as the best means of achieving a Palestinian State from its peak in December. 

In December, support for armed resistance across the Palestinian Territories was 63%, 68% in the West Bank and 56% in the Gaza Strip.

The latest polling showed support for armed resistance at 46% across the Palestinian Territories, 51% in the West Bank, and 39% in the Gaza Strip.

Although both showed a drop in support for armed resistance, the West Bank and Gaza Strip diverged on the alternative to armed resistance.

The West Bank showed an increase in support for negotiations from 18% in December 2023 to 27% in March 2024; despite the increase, this figure is still less than the support for negotiations in the West Bank in September 2022 (32%).

In the Gaza Strip, support increased mostly for peaceful popular resistance from 19% in December 2023 to 27% in March 2024. Support for negotiations was not far behind at 23%.

Overall, changes in support for different methods of achieving a Palestinian State have remained steady in the Gaza Strip, with the only major change in support being a fall in support for armed resistance in March 2024.

In the West Bank, however, opinions on different methods of achieving a Palestinian State have changed rapidly and radically between different surveys.

Support for negotiations, peaceful popular resistance, and armed resistance (32%, 24%, 35%, respectively) shifted from a relatively even split in September 2022 to a peak of support for armed resistance (68%) in December 2023. 

Although, by March 2024, support for armed resistance had fallen to 51%, support for other solutions remained lopsided, with support for peaceful resistance only coming to 12% and negotiations at 27%.





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