Newsflash
Just to fill you in on the latest:
First of all: Jewish news
A free public transportation bus line offering full segregation between men and women and connecting the haredi neighborhoods and the Western Wall was launched in Jerusalem on Thursday.
Well, then a serious terror attack was luckily prevented but caused some trouble. It wasn’t a good day for northern Israel:
Saturday evening saw a local security patrol respond to a small explosion which occurred in a car parked near the mall. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the officers found it was rigged with what was later determined to be nearly 40 kilograms (90 pounds) of explosives. The mall and its surrounding area were evacuated immediately, as police sappers spent hours neutralizing the deadly devices.
A grave disaster was prevented in Haifa’s Lev Hamifratz Mall on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at the start of Sunday’s cabinet meeting. “The terrorists tried to detonate a heavy demolition charge of dozens of kilograms of explosives, and fortunately if didn’t explode,” he said.
“As far as Israel is concerned, this was a terror attack for all intents and purposes,” the prime minister added. “The citizens’ alertness and the police and security forces’ quick response prevented a grave disaster.
Sirens were heard again in communities in northern Israel Sunday afternoon, in the Upper Galilee towns of Kiryat Shmona, Metula and nearby communities. Troops combing the area found no evidence of any Katyusha rockets having landed in Israeli territory.
Then there is the ongoing issue of an Israeli soldier being captured by HAMAS. To put some pressure on HAMAS, Israel decided to send some Palestinians to jail which is making HAMAS mad, of course. Now both sides are outraged:
After a special ministerial committee proposed sanctions against security prisoners held in Israel, in hopes of advancing a deal for the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, dozens of people protested outside the Sharon Prison Monday morning and blocked the entrance of visitors.
Relatives of Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel set up protest tent in Gaza with effigy of kidnapped soldier as centerpiece. Family members waved Hebrew banners vowing Shalit will not be released until their sons are. Meanwhile Hamas warns: ‘Shalit will become the second Ron Arad’
Finally, politics. I don’t have a clue. It’s still a mess!