Israeli rescued from Palestinian town after entering in error; his car is torched

Israeli who mistakenly entered Palestinian town is rescued with minor injuries

The Israeli man who mistakenly entered the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya and was attacked has been rescued.

The Rescuers Without Borders emergency service says he is being treated for a minor wound as a result of a stone being hurled at him.

IDF: Israeli’s car torched after entering Palestinian town in error; rescue underway

An Israeli man has been attacked by Palestinians after mistakenly entering the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya, the military says.

The man’s car was set on fire after entering the town, footage posted by Palestinian media outlets shows.

The Israel Defense Forces says troops are working to extract the man from the town.

The military says it “emphasizes” that entering Area A of the West Bank — under full Palestinian control — “is prohibited and dangerous for Israelis.”

#شاهـد شبان يُشعلون النيران بمركبة مستوطن قرب ترمسعيا شمال شرق رام الله.

لمتابعة آخر الأخبار عبر قناة نيو برس على تيلجرام https://t.co/6BCL5wfFPS pic.twitter.com/6thPmzLlC4

— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) August 20, 2023

Man seriously hurt in Tel Aviv stabbing

A man is taken to a local hospital in serious condition after being stabbed in Tel Aviv.

The Magen David Adom ambulance says the man’s condition is unstable.

The incident does not appear to be terror-related.

Bar-Ilan U. faculty slam call to ease jail terms for Israeli killer of Palestinian family

Amiram Ben Uliel, convicted of the Duma arson murder in July 2015, in which three members of the Dawabsha family were killed, attends a hearing on his appeal, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, on March 7, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Over 100 faculty members at Bar-Ilan University condemn an open letter calling to ease the terms of incarceration for a man convicted of killing three members of a Palestinian family in an arson attack in 2015.

The letter was signed by several Knesset members — including from the ruling Likud party — prominent rabbis and other figures, including Bar-Ilan rector Amnon Albeck. Along with calling for moving Amiram Ben Uliel to a different wing, the signatories also cast doubt on his conviction, claiming it was based solely on a confession obtained through alleged torture.

Ben Uliel is serving five live sentences for the deadly firebombing in the West Bank village of Duma, which killed Riham and Saad Dawabsha along with their 18-month-old son, Ali Saad.

“We wish to express our firm opposition and shock over the publication of the petition,” the Bar-Ilan faculty write in a letter.

They also charge the letter joins the government’s “support or at least tolerance toward terrible acts of violence committed against innocent Arabs in these violent days.”

Man medevacked from Dead Sea in serious condition after suffering heat stroke

An Israeli man is evacuated in serious condition from the Dead Sea, after he suffers heat stroke.

The man, who the Magen David Adom ambulance service says is 60 years old, is taken by helicopter to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

IDF releases video of Iron Dome intercepting Gaza drone

The Israel Defense Forces publishes footage showing the moment a drone launched from the Gaza Strip was downed by the Iron Dome air defense system earlier today.

The IDF said the unmanned aircraft did not enter Israeli airspace, and it was downed over the Hamas-run coastal enclave.

IDF publishes footage showing the drone launched from the Gaza Strip that was downed by the Iron Dome earlier today. pic.twitter.com/9utKTglkQ0

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 20, 2023

Man charged for driving Palestinian who carried out deadly terror attack in Tel Aviv

Israeli police inspect the site of a deadly terrorist shooting attack in Tel Aviv, August 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Police have filed an indictment against a man from the central Arab town of Tayibe for giving a ride to the Palestinian terrorist who carried out a deadly shooting attack in Tel Aviv earlier this month.

According to the indictment, Shadi Ahmed Jaber, 36, a shuttle driver, gave a ride to several Palestinians who had illegally entered Israel, including Kamel Abu Bakr, who later killed Tel Aviv patrolman Chen Amir on August 5.

Abu Bakr paid Jaber NIS 100 ($25) for the ride from the Baqa al-Gharbiyye area, close to the West Bank security barrier, to Tel Aviv, the indictment says.

Police say Abu Bakr coordinated with the shuttle driver ahead of time for his pick-up.

Jaber is charged with knowingly transporting Palestinians illegally in Israel, as well as driving without a license, as it had been revoked by a court on January 1.

His vehicle has been seized by police and will be forfeited for the state, law enforcement officials say.

Greece evacuates more villages as wildfire rages for 2nd day

A firefighter fighting a wildfire near the northeastern town of Alexandroupolis, Greece, August 20, 2023. (Ilias Kotsireas/ InTime News via AP)

THESSALONIKI, Greece — Greek authorities evacuate another five villages near the northeastern border with Turkey, where a large summer wildfire that has already destroyed several homes over the weekend draws dangerously close.

There are no reports of serious injuries to firefighters or residents from the forest blaze near the town of Alexandroupolis, that forced the evacuation of another eight villages yesterday.

Strong winds whip on the flames, and civil protection authorities warn of an “extreme” fire risk tomorrow in the region around the capital, Athens, and other parts of southern Greece.

Some 200 firefighters, assisted by 16 water-dropping aircraft, volunteers, and police, are battling the blaze near Alexandroupolis.

Ultra-Orthodox parties said still demanding blanket exemption from IDF service

Shas chair Aryeh Deri, right, and United Torah Judaism chair Yitzchak Goldknopf meet in Jerusalem, November 4, 2022. (United Torah Judaism)

Coalition chiefs have wrapped up a meeting on legislation to exempt yeshiva students from military conscription, with Hebrew media outlets reporting they failed to bridge their differences on the bill.

According to Channel 12 news, the sides agreed to continue talks on the matter while drawing less attention to them, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wary that blanket exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox could add fuel to the ongoing protests against the government’s judicial overhaul.

The network, which doesn’t cite a source, also reports the Haredi parties continued to demand their community be completely exempt from military service and made clear to Netanyahu that they will not back the advancement of other bills until the exemptions are enacted into law.

The ultra-Orthodox factions also reportedly insisted the bill be passed in a manner that shields it from scrutiny by the High Court of Justice, while Netanyahu said they should not move to do so unless the legislation is struck down by the court.

Funeral held for father and son killed in West Bank terror shooting

An undated photo shows Shay Silas Nigreker, 60 (right) and his 28-year-old son Aviad Nir, who were killed in a terror attack in the West Bank town of Huwara, August 19, 2023. (Courtesy)

Mourners attend the funeral of an Israeli man and his son who were killed yesterday in a terror attack in the West Bank.

Shay Silas Nigreker, 60, and Aviad Nir, 28, are being buried in their hometown of Ashdod.

The pair were shot dead at a carwash in Huwara, a northern West Bank town that has been the site of a series of violent incidents between Israelis and Palestinians in recent months.

Security forces are still searching for the gunman.

Zelensky lands at air base in Denmark, which got US okay to give F-16s to Ukraine

SKRYDSTRUP, Denmark — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lands at an air force base in southern Denmark, two days after the United States approved the transfer of US-made F-16 fighter jets by Denmark and the Netherlands to Kviy.

After an earlier visit in the day to the Netherlands, where Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte approved the delivery of the jets, Zelensky arrives at Skrydstrup at around 4:30 p.m. local time, according to AFP journalists.

Likud said pressing ultra-Orthodox allies to compromise on IDF draft exemption bill

United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni, center, speaks alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, at the Knesset in Jerusalem on January 23, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Senior figures in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party have told members of the coalition’s ultra-Orthodox factions they will have to compromise on a bill exempting yeshiva students from military service, according to the Ynet news site.

Citing Likud sources, the report says party members stressed to their Haredi interlocutors that the measure they are demanding lacks sufficient coalition support to clear the Knesset. They also reportedly said if there is no compromise, there will be no law.

“Goldknopf needs to get in touch with the Israeli reality,” an unnamed Likud official is quoted as saying, referring to the head of the United Torah Judaism party.

The official also notes Likud’s criticism of reservists who have stopped showing up for volunteer duty to protest the government’s judicial overhaul.

“We are coming out against insubordination because it is dangerous for the country’s security. Likud lending a hand to mass evasion [from conscription]? It won’t happen,” the official adds.

The comments come as coalition leaders meet to discuss the IDF legislation in light of their internal divisions.

Israeli arrested for scrap with Egyptian in Sinai after reportedly waving Chabad flag

A beach in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, on June 6, 2019. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

An Israeli man has been arrested in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula after scuffling with a local resident.

The scrap apparently broke out after the Israeli man waved a flag of the Chabad Hasidic movement, according to the Kan public broadcaster.

The Foreign Ministry says it’s aware of the incident and that the Israeli embassy in Cairo is helping address the matter.

Egypt detains journalist after mysterious plane coverage

CAIRO — Egyptian authorities have detained a journalist working for a fact-checking platform following its coverage of a plane that was seized in Zambia along with its cargo after making a stop in Cairo, the outlet says.

Security forces arrested Karim Asaad yesterday from his home in al-Shorouk neighborhood in eastern Cairo, the platform, Matsda2sh, or Don’t Believe, says in a statement.

The platform accuses security forces of assaulting Asaad’s wife and threatening their child while detaining the journalist. Asaad’s whereabouts remained unknown, it adds.

The platform says security forces asked Asaad about its extensive coverage of a mysterious plane intercepted in Zambia earlier this month after making a stop in Cairo.

There is no immediate comment from the government.

The Egyptian Press Syndicate’s Freedoms Committee urges authorities to reveal Asaad’s whereabouts, investigate allegations of assaults against him and his wife and called for his release, in a statement today.

Zambian authorities said they found over $5 million in cash and more than 100 kilograms of suspected gold mixed with zinc, copper, and nickel on board the aircraft.

Zambian authorities said six Egyptians were detained along with four from Zambia, Netherlands, Spain and Latvia in relation to the mysterious plane.

Matsda2sh is a social media platform that focuses on debunking misinformation. The platform says its journalists are “independent” and “hide their identities” for safety reasons. It recently responded to questions about its funding, following its work on the seized plane, saying they do not receive any grants from governments.

Egypt is one the world’s top jailers of journalists, along with Turkey and China, according to media watchdogs. Authorities have for years targeted journalists as part of a wide-scale crackdown on dissent and government critics.

Dutch PM says Netherlands and Denmark will give F-16s to Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, is greeted by Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Eindhoven, Netherlands, August 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

EINDHOVEN, Netherlands — Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tells Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the Netherlands and Denmark will give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine.

Rutte, meeting with Zelensky at a Dutch air base, says the planes will be delivered once unspecified conditions are met.

The announcement comes minutes after Rutte and Zelensky inspected two gray F-16 jets parked in a hangar at the base.

The offer comes two days after the Netherlands and Denmark said the US had authorized the countries to deliver American-made F-16s to Ukraine.

Lapid slams Dermer for suggesting Israel won’t oppose Saudi civil nuclear program

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting at Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on January 29, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid assails Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer for suggesting the government would not oppose Saudi Arabia’s development of a civil nuclear program in the context of a potential US-brokered normalization agreement between Jerusalem and Riyadh.

In an interview Friday with PBS, Dermer was asked whether Israel would support a Saudi nuclear program that includes uranium enrichment capabilities.

“Like so many things, the devil is in the details, and we’re going to have to look at what ultimately is agreed upon,” said Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “[The Saudis] could go to China or they can go to France tomorrow, and they could set up — ask them to set up a civil nuclear program and to allow for domestic enrichment.

“They could do that tomorrow if they wanted to. So the question that I asked myself is, if the US is involved in this, what will that mean 10 years down the road, 20 years down the road, 30 years down the road, and what’s the alternative? There are other issues the Saudis have put forward,” he said.

Dermer added: “You have countries in the region that can have civilian nuclear power. That’s a different story than a nuclear weapons program.”

On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Lapid argues Dermer’s comments “endanger Israeli security.”

“It’s possible to reach an agreement that strengthens our national security without Israel having to sign off on uranium enrichment in the Middle East,” Lapid says.

Spain beats England 1-0 to win its first ever Women’s World Cup

Spain's Olga Carmona celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the final of Women's World Cup soccer between Spain and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, August 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

SYDNEY — Spain has won its first Women’s World Cup championship with a 1-0 victory over England.

The win for Spain in just its third World Cup appearance prevents the Lionesses — the reigning European champions — from bringing the trophy back to England for the first time since 1966. England’s men’s team won the nation’s only World Cup that year.

Spain won on a goal from Olga Carmona in the 29th minute. The left back scored in back-to-back World Cup games for Spain, which has a tournament-best 18 goals in this World Cup, and became just the seventh player in tournament history to score in both the semifinals and the final.

Spain, which had a near mutiny last year when 15 players quit the national team, was the more aggressive team in the final and pressed the entire game.

The England loss is the first this tournament for coach Sarina Wiegman, who was hired in late 2021 as the team’s first non-British manager. It is also Wiegman’s second consecutive loss in the finale.

She is the only coach in the history of the tournament to take two nations to the final; Wiegman was coach of the Netherlands when the Dutch lost 2-0 to the United States in 2019.

The finale guaranteed a first-time Women’s World Cup winner as neither Spain or England had ever hoisted the trophy.

High Court blocks plan to shorten special education school day

Illustrative: An empty classroom at Cramim school in Beit Hakerem, Jerusalem, on October 21, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

With the start of the new school year looming, the High Court of Justice blocks the Education Ministry from moving forward with plans to shorten the school day for children in special education frameworks.

Under the plan, which the Israeli Society for Autistic Children (ALUT) petitioned against, the school day for those with special needs would have ended at 4 p.m. instead of 4:45 p.m.

Coalition chiefs to meet amid divides over Haredi draft exemption legislation

An ultra-Orthodox man walks past a sign for the IDF recruitment office in Jerusalem, August 16, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Coalition party leaders are slated to convene for talks later today amid internal disagreements over advancing legislation that would exempt yeshiva students from mandatory military service, as demanded by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox allies.

“There is a coalition agreement and we hope that everyone will meet their commitments, as we are meeting ours,” Housing Minister Yitzhack Goldknopf, head of the United Torah Judaism party, told reporters before the cabinet meeting earlier today.

Iranian realtor arrested for transferring ownership of apartment to dog

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian police have arrested the head of a real estate agency after a viral video showed his firm selling an apartment to a dog, officials say.

In the video, which spread widely over the weekend, an Iranian couple signs a contract transferring title of their apartment to their furry, white, small-breed dog.

The animal, named “Chester,” placed its paws on an ink pad with the help of a woman before the contract was stamped.

She said in the video that the couple had no “heirs and that they wanted to sell the apartment to the dog.”

There is no law banning dog ownership in Iran but, as in many Muslim countries, they are considered unclean. Conservative clerics have advised against keeping them as pets.

ISNA news agency today reports that the “police launched an investigation” following the video.

“The police arrested the head of the real estate agency and shuttered the firm on Saturday,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website says, quoting deputy prosecutor general Reza Tabar.

Tabar says the sale seeks to “normalize the violation of the society’s moral values,” and has “no legal basis.”

Mizan does not identify the arrested realtor.

Many Iranians, especially among the upper and middle classes, have in recent years embraced the trend of pet ownership, usually dogs and cats.

Zelensky vows retaliation for Russian missile strike that killed 7

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today vows stern retaliation for a Russian missile strike in the center of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv that killed seven people and wounded almost 150 others the day before.

“I am sure our soldiers will respond to Russia for this terrorist attack. Respond tangibly,” Zelensky says in a video address published at the end of a visit to Sweden, his first foreign trip since attending a NATO summit in Lithuania last month.

He identifies a 6-year-old girl named Sofia as among the dead in the attack and confirms that the wounded include 15 children.

The governor of the Chernihiv region, Vyacheslav Chaus, says the total number of people confirmed to have been wounded has risen to 148.

Further east, Russian forces shelled the city of Kupiansk this morning, seriously wounding a man, according to Kharkiv regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

Zelensky arrived in the Netherlands today, two days after the country said the United States had given its approval for Dutch and Danish authorities to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine’s air force.

Zelensky is meeting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at a military air base in the southern city of Eindhoven.

In Russia today, five people were wounded when a Ukrainian drone hit a train station in the city of Kursk, regional Gov. Roman Starovoit says. Kursk is the capital of the western region of the same name, which borders Ukraine.

According to Starovoit, the drone crashed into the roof of the railway station building, with a fire subsequently breaking out on the roof.

Russian air defenses jammed a drone flying towards Moscow earlier today causing it to crash. Russia’s Defense Ministry calls it “an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack.”

Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports briefly suspended flights, but no victims or damage were reported.

Cabinet approves NIS 3.2 billion development plan for East Jerusalem

View of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, April 8, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The government approves a five-year, nearly NIS 3.2 billion ($843 million) plan for the development of East Jerusalem, after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich froze the money in protest of funding for a college preparatory program for Arab students at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The plan will allocate money for infrastructure development, housing, healthcare and education, among other areas.

“This decision will change the face of Jerusalem,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in a live statement after today’s cabinet meeting. “We are uniting Jerusalem.”

The plan’s implementation was held up for two months by Smotrich, who sought to reallocate NIS 200 million from the academic program, citing an alleged presence of “radical Islamic cells.”

Smotrich, head of the far-right Religious Zionism party, has also recently said he will not release another NIS 200 million aimed at development in Arab municipalities, claiming the cash will go to organized crime groups or be used to support terrorism. The funds — aimed at boosting the economy, upgrading infrastructure and fighting crime in Arab communities around the country — were approved by the previous government, which included the Islamist Ra’am party alongside left-wing, centrist and right-wing parties.

Arab municipal leaders have called a general strike for tomorrow to protest the funding freeze, with local authorities announcing today that they will hold a two-hour warning strike in solidarity.