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The Times of Israel liveblogged Sunday’s events as they unfolded.
10-15 soldiers reportedly injured in Jerusalem terror attack
Ten to 15 soldiers were reportedly injured in Jerusalem terror attack after a truck rammed into a group of people in Armon Hanatziv neighborhood in the south of capital.
The perpetrator was shot and killed by security services, according to Channel 2.
המיקום המדויק סוף טיילת ארמון הנציב לכיוון אלר #פיגוע pic.twitter.com/05XDO532QB
— דסק חדשות און ליין (@yosefbadichi) January 8, 2017
Police say incident is suspected terror attack
Police confirm that a truck plowed into a group of pedestrians on a promenade in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of East Jerusalem, injuring 10 of them.
A police spokespersons said the incident was a suspected terror attack.
The driver of the vehicle was “neutralized,” police said, though it was not immediately clear if, as has been reported, this meant he had been wounded or killed.
Two people seriously wounded in ramming attack
Two of the injured in the Armon Hanatziv ramming attack are in serious condition, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.
Police confirm ramming victims as soldiers
Police have confirmed media reports that the victims of a ramming attack in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Armon Hanatziv were soldiers.
They has reportedly just got off a bus
Ten to 15 people are reported to have been injured, some of them seriously.
3 reported dead in Jerusalem ramming
Three people were killed in the ramming attack in Jerusalem’s Armon Hanatziv neighborhood.
Police have said least 10 solders were injured but have not yet confirmed any fatalities.
It is not yet clear if the three said killed included the driver of the truck who was reported to have been shot dead by an armed citizen and security personnel.
Victims trapped under truck
Victims are reportedly trapped underneath the truck which ran over soldiers in Armon Hanatziv.
A crane is being used to lift the truck in order to free those trapped underneath, Israel radio reports.
Female soldier arrives at hospital in serious, unstable condition
One injured female soldier arrives at Shaare Zedek hospital in serious condition.
She is unconscious and in an unstable condition, a hospital spokesperson says.
Death toll in ramming reportedly rises to 4
The death toll in the ramming attack in Jerusalem has reportedly risen to four.
Police initially said 10 soldiers were injured. It is not clear if the fatalities were soldiers.
Five victims were sent to Shaare Zedek, four of them who were lightly injured and one in moderate condition, MDA says.
Seven victims were sent to Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, three in moderate condition, four who were lightly wounded.
3 women, 1 man confirmed dead in ramming attack
Three women and one man are confirmed killed in a ramming attack in Armon Hanatziv, the Magen David Adom paramedic service says.
All four were in their 20s.
In addition, 15 people were injured. One is in serious condition, 4 in moderate condition and 10 with light injuries.
Driver of bus describes truck ramming passengers
Moshe Aharon, the driver of the bus which the victims were riding on tells Israel Hayom that “a group of [people] was standing with their bags near the bus. I had just let them off. The truck drove into the group of [people], ran over them and kept going. The [people] shot at the driver. He reversed and ran over them again.”
Israeli security forces and medics gather next to a truck at the site of a ramming attack in Jerusalem on January 8, 2017. (AFP/AHMAD GHARABLI)
Driver in ramming attack said from East Jerusalem neighborhood
The driver in a Jerusalem ramming attack came from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, according to Palestinian media reports.
Jabel Mukaber borders Amon Hanatziv where the attack took place.
The driver was reportedly shot and killed at the scene.
The scene of an apparent truck ramming attack in Jerusalem on January 8, 2017. (Twitter)
Police chief says no warning came before ramming
Israel Police chief Roni Alsheich says no warning was received before the ramming attack in Jerusalem in which four people were reportedly killed and therefore police could not have prevented it.
Alsheich says the driver sought a high victim count and had driven around the area in Armon Hanatziv to find a large group of people.
“Other than the fact that the attacker was from East Jerusalem, I can’t share any details in order to prevent compromising [the investigation],” he says.
Hammas praises ramming attack
Hamas spokesman Hazzem Qassem writes on his Facebook following the ramming attack in Jerusalem:
“The continuous operations in the West Bank and Jerusalem prove that the Jerusalem Intifada is not an isolated event, but rather a decision by the Palestinian people to revolut until it attains its freedom and liberation from the Israeli occupation.”
He adds: “These operations demonstrate that all attempts to bypass the resistance or to thwart it will fail every time.”
–– Dov Lieber
Ramming driver identified as Fadi al-Qanbar
Palestinian media identify the Jerusalem truck driver attacker as Fadi al-Qanbar from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukabar.
Hospitals open hotlines for info on ramming victims
Jerusalem hospitals have opened hotlines for information on victims injured in the ramming attack in Jerusalem’s Armon Hanatziv neighborhood.
Shaare Zedek: 1255125
Hadassah Ein Kerem: 1255122
Hadassah Mount Scopus: 1255121
Jerusalem on high security after attack
Jerusalem has been put on a heightened security level following the terrorist attack in Armon Hanatziv, police say.
Hamas says ramming driver was released prisoner
Hamas’s Qassam Brigades says the Jerusalem ramming attacker, Fadi al-Qanbar, was a released prisoner.
A statement from the group calls him a “mujahid” — a jihadi fighter.
Jerusalem mayor says perpetrators will pay ‘heavy price’
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat responds to the attack in Armon Hanatziv in which four people were killed.
“Those who incite and inflame and those who support terror must pay a heavy price. I call on all the residents of Jerusalem and the country to continue their lives as usual and to not let terror win,” he says.
MDA updates numbers of injured
Magen David Adom gives a roundup of those injured in the attack.
Four people in their twenties were killed.
Thirteen were injured and taken to the hospital, three in serious condition, one moderate to serious, and nine with light injuries.
Deputy FM says Paris peace conference inspired ramming attack
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely says the ramming attack in Jerusalem in which four people were killed was inspired by the Paris peace conference set to begin next week.
“The world has received a clear answer from the Palestinians to the peace conference coming up in Paris: More terror,” Hotovely says.
“I again call on the international community to demand an end to terror and the industry of education toward it.”
UN envoy condemns ‘shocking terror attack’
UN’s special envoy to the peace process Nickolay Mladenov tweets:
My thoughts go out to victims of shocking #terror attack in #Jerusalem. Must be condemned by all. Absolutely no excuses, no justifications!
— Nickolay E. MLADENOV (@nmladenov) January 8, 2017
Foreign representatives respond to Jerusalem terror attack
Norway’s Foreign Minister Borge Brende and US Ambassador Dan Shapiro are among the first foreign representatives to express condolences over the Jerusalem terror attack.
Brende tweeted:
My most sincere condolences to the families of the killed and my thoughts to the victims and their loved ones. https://t.co/fZk7WT4vWB
— Børge Brende (@borgebrende) January 8, 2017
Shapiro tweeted in Hebrew:
אני מגנה בחריפות את הפיגוע בירושלים בו נרצחו חיילי צה"ל. תנחומים למשפחות ההרוגים ותפילות להחלמת הפצועים.
— Dan Shapiro (@AmbShapiro) January 8, 2017
Bennett slams BBC over reporting of Jerusalem terror attack
In his first response to a Jerusalem ramming attack in which four people were killed, Education Minister Naftali Bennett slams the BBC for its reporting of the incident.
Bennett tweeted:
Yup, BBC. Driver–not terrorist–shot.
He only "allegedly" murdered 4 Israelis. pic.twitter.com/eLdgZO66e0— Naftali Bennett בנט (@naftalibennett) January 8, 2017
Video footage of Jerusalem terror attack released
Security camera footage shows the moment of the attack, in which a truck driver plowed his vehicle into a group of IDF soldiers who were getting off a bus at a Jerusalem promenade.
The graphic video, posted below, shows the truck hitting the soldiers, backing up and running over them again, confirming multiple eyewitness accounts of the terror attack.
Jerusalem hospitals say 16 people injured in ramming attack
In total, 16 people were injured in the Jerusalem truck-ramming attack in addition to the four fatalities, according to hospitals in the capital.
One seriously injured soldier is receiving treatment in the Shaare Zedek Medical Center. She was unconscious and doctors were attempting to stabilize her, a spokesperson for the hospital says.
Another four victims who were lightly injured are also being treated in Shaare Zedek, the hospital says.
Doctors in Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem are treating nine victims of the attack. One is in serious condition, two in moderate condition and six lightly wounded.
Two victims who were lightly injured are being treated in Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus, the hospital says.
Jerusalem police flood terrorist’s neighborhood
Heavily armed police officers enter Jabel Mukaber in East Jerusalem, the neighborhood where the terrorist who plowed his truck into a group of soldiers lived, according to Arab media.
Videos shared on social media from Jabel Mukaber show numerous police vehicles and officers clad in body armor entering the Arab neighborhood.
Shortly after the attack, the driver was identified as Fadi al-Qanbar, a resident of the neighborhood.
Al-Qanbar’s family is particularly well known in Jabel Mukaber. Part of the East Jerusalem neighborhood is named after it.
Security cabinet to meet in light of Jerusalem terror attack
Israel’s security cabinet will hold a special session following the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem, Walla news reports.
The cabinet will meet at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the attack, in which four were killed and more than a dozen were injured.
MDA calls for blood donations following Jerusalem terror attack
The Magen David Adom emergency service calls on the public to donate blood in light of the truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem, in which four soldiers were killed and more than a dozen were injured.
The ambulance service will open its blood donation center in Jerusalem from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Information on other blood centers can be found at http://www.mdais.org/dam.
Some 42 units of blood were used to treat the victims of the terror attack, MDA says.
Civilian who shot terrorist says Azaria case made soldiers hesitate
The civilian tour guide for the soldiers hit in the Jerusalem truck-ramming blames the “Hebron shooting” case for causing the troops to hesitate during the terror attack.
The tour guide, Eitan Rond, tells reporters outside the Jerusalem hospital where he was treated that the soldiers around him did not open fire at the truck driver immediately.
According to Rond, the Elor Azaria case, in which an IDF soldier was convicted of manslaughter for shooting dead an incapacitated, supine Palestinian assailant, was the reason the soldiers did not react quickly.
The soldiers were cadets in the army’s officer training course, though they reportedly did not come from combat units.
Defense minister visits scene of Jerusalem terror attack
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman arrives at the scene of a terror attack in Jerusalem in which four soldiers were killed and more than a dozen people were injured.
Under heavy guard, Liberman tours the scene of the attack, speaking with security personnel on the ground.
Netanyahu arrives at scene of Jerusalem terror attack
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the scene of a terror attack in Jerusalem in which four soldiers were killed and more than a dozen people were injured.
Under heavy guard, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman tour the scene of the attack, speaking with security personnel on the ground.
The security cabinet is slated to meet at 5:30 p.m. in light of the attack.
Ministers approve bill to keep ‘anti-IDF’ groups from speaking in schools
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation passes a bill that would prevent organizations that “harm the IDF abroad” from speaking at schools, Education Minister Nafatali Bennett says.
The committee unanimously approves the measure, which would affect Breaking the Silence and other left-wing groups, he says, in a tweet.
Bennett first unveiled his plans for the bill two weeks ago.
In December 2015, Bennett instructed the ministry’s director-general to update an official memorandum regulating educational procedures — a document published every year outlining the ministry’s emphases for the coming school year — to explicitly state that organizations it says incite against the IDF, such as Breaking the Silence, are not allowed entry to schools.
Students protest during a talk by the Breaking The Silence NGO at the Hebrew University, December 22, 2015. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
But the memorandum was not legally binding and in the past month three high school principals have allowed Breaking the Silence members to speak at their students, The Times of Israel learned. The principals were given a dressing down by the Education Ministry, but did not face any disciplinary action.
Father of Jerusalem terrorist arrested — Arab media
Police arrest the father of the East Jerusalem man who plowed his truck into a group of soldiers, killing four of them and injuring more than a dozen, Arab media reports.
The terrorist, identified by Palestinian sources as Fadi al-Qanbar from Jabel Mukaber, drove his truck into the group of soldiers, who were in the capital on a cultural trip with the army.
Shortly after the attack, a large number of police vehicles and officers clad in body armor entered the East Jerusalem neighborhood.
According to Arabic media, al-Qanbar was 28 years old and married, with one son. He had previously served time in Israeli prison.
During the attack, an armed civilian and some of the soldiers shot and killed him.
Hamas welcomes Jerusalem terror attack, but doesn’t take credit
In an official press release on its website, the Gaza-based terror group Hamas says it “welcomes” the ramming attack in Jerusalem, but does not claim responsibility.
Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barohoum says Hamas “welcomes the brave and heroic operation in Jerusalem,” calling it a “natural reaction to the Israeli crimes and violations against our people, land and holy sites.”
Herzog says Berlin, Nice truck-rammings inspired Sunday’s attack
Opposition chief Isaac Herzog says the terror attack in Berlin last month and Nice earlier this year likely inspired today’s attacker.
“I have no doubt that the truck-ramming attacks that we’ve seen in recent months abroad influenced this vile terrorist’s murder weapon decision,” Herzog says in a statement.
The opposition leader praises the soldiers and civilian who shot the terrorist as he carried out the attack and sent condolences to the families of the victims.
“Jerusalem is branded by terror attacks. [But] Jerusalem will always overcome the terror,” Herzog says.
Doctors still trying to stabilize terror victim in ICU
Aviv Hovav, the assistant director of MDA, says rescuers arriving at the terror attack were met by a scene much worse than the stabbing attacks that occurred at a high frequency a year ago.
“When MDA personnel arrived on the scene there were four people trapped under the vehicle and rest were spread out on the ground,” he says. “The scene was much more difficult than recent stabbing incidents, which were more focused in scope.”
Dr. Ofer Merin speaking with reporters at Shaare Zedek medical center following a terror attack in Jerusalem, January 8, 2017. (Renee Ghert-Zand/Times of Israel)
He compared the incident to a spate of attacks in Jerusalem several years ago in which construction equipment was used as a weapon.
Dr. Ofer Merin, at Shaare Zedek medical center, says a young woman in intensive care has not yet been stabilized. He says she will undergo a number of procedures in the coming hours in an attempt to save her.
Four other victims have lacerations and broken bones, he says.
— Renee Ghert-Zand
Envoy to UN calls on Security Council to condemn attack
Israel’s envoy to the UN Danny Danon says the attack is the “direct result of Palestinian incitement,” and calls on UN chief Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council to condemn the incident.
He also draws a direct line between the Jerusalem attack and truck rammings in Berlin, Germany, and Nice, France, linking them via “murderous Islamic terror.”
IDF investigating soldiers’ ‘hesitant’ response to terror attack
Head of the IDF’s officers’ training school finds “at least two” of his cadets shot at the terrorist who rammed his truck into a group of soldiers in East Jerusalem, amid reports that the troops hesitated to respond or failed to entirely.
Col. Yaniv Alaluf, who commands the officers’ training course, visited the scene of the attack in order to conduct a preliminary investigation into the truck-ramming, in which four soldiers were killed and more than a dozen were injured. The soldiers were noncombat cadets in Alaluf’s course, in Jerusalem as part of a cultural tour with the army.
A civilian tour guide who was with the soldiers and also shot at the terrorist said he felt the troops had “hesitated” during the attack and blamed the recent “Hebron shooting” case for their pause.
Alaluf’s initial findings show that at least two soldiers opened fire at the attacker “from a close distance,” the army says.
The IDF will continue to investigate the incident “in depth,” the army says in a statement.
Netanyahu: Attacker was IS supporter
Visiting the scene of the terror attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says “all signs point to the attacker being an Islamic State supporter,” linking the ramming to similar attacks in Europe.
“We know that we have here a series of attacks, and there could be a link between them, from France to Berlin, and now Jerusalem,” he says.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, to his left, visit the site of a vehicle-ramming attack in Jerusalem on January 8, 2017. (AFP/AHMAD GHARABLI)
The attacker has been identified in media as Fadi al-Qanbar, a resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, near the attack site.
“We’ve placed a closure on Jabel Mukaber, the neighborhood he came from, and we are carrying out other actions that I won’t detail here,” Netanyahu says, adding that he had come from a meeting with Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot and other top security officials.
Attacker’s body won’t be returned, minister orders
Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan has instructed the police not to return the body of the Jerusalem truck attacker, according to media reports.
The attacker has been identified in media as Fadi al-Qanbar. According to reports, he spent time in Israeli prison and was working in construction.
An Israeli forensics expert gathers evidence as security forces and emergency personnel gather at the site of a vehicle-ramming attack in Jerusalem on January 8, 2017. (AFP/ MENAHEM KAHANA)
Recording of Netanyahu made at his request — report
Channel 2 news reports that a recording of Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes was made at the prime minister’s request.
Earlier Sunday Channel 2 news said that Mozes was the businessman reported to have conducted negotiations with Benjamin Netanyahu to receive benefits in exchange for helping the prime minister remain in power.
According to a report Sunday in the daily Haaretz, officers are in possession of “a series” of audio recordings of Netanyahu that appear to corroborate the suspicions, part of a mysterious investigation whose details have remained hazy.
Ari Harow, former chief of staff of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at a Likud meeting in the Israeli parliament, November 24, 2014. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Channel 2 now reports that Ari Harow, Netanyahu’s former chief of staff, recorded the conversations between Netanyahu and Mozes, at the prime minister’s request. The recording was apparently uncovered by police during a separate investigation into Harow on suspicion of fraud.
A spokesman representing Harow declined a Times of Israel request for comment.
New York governor ‘outraged’ at Jerusalem terror attack
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says he is “outraged” at the Jerusalem car ramming attack in which four people were killed.
“In times of crisis friends stand shoulder to shoulder with each other,” Cuomo says in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the people of Israel today and we pray for those lost and injured and their families.”
In times of crisis, friends stand with each other. Our thoughts are with the people of Israel today, and we pray for those lost and injured. pic.twitter.com/FXwuvQj2PY
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 8, 2017
Army spokesman: Wrong to link ramming attack to Elor Azaria vedict
The IDF spokesman Moti Almoz says it’s wrong to link the ramming attack in Jerusalem to the verdict in the Elor Azria trial, after a witness at the scene said soldiers hesitated because they were thinking about the repercussions.
“I don’t know if the soldiers shot late because I don’t have the timings of the shots,” Almoz says, according to Walla news. “We have not yet had an investigation.”
Elor Azaria, an Israeli soldier who shot a Palestinian terrorist in Hebron, sits in the courtroom before the announcement of his verdict at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, January 4, 2017 (Miriam Alster/Flash90)
Soldiers who were targeted in Monday’s truck-ramming attack in Jerusalem might have prevented some of the loss of life and injury if they had not hesitated in opening fire on the terrorist, according to the tour guide who was with them and helped bring down the driver. The army says its initial investigations showed several soldiers opened fire.
Azaria, an IDF soldier, was convicted of manslaughter last week for killing a wounded Palestinian attacker.
Liberman: Neither settlements nor peace talks behind attack
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman says Jewish presence is Israel was behind today’s ramming attack in Jerusalem in which four soldiers were killed, and “not any other reasons.”
“Its clear that this murderous terror attack did not happen for any other reasons than this: Because we are Jews and because we live here in the Land of Israel,” Liberman says during a visit of the site of the attack.
“There was no other reasons for it and there is no need to search for justification – not Jewish settlements and not peace negotiations, just terror, inspired by Islamic State,” he adds.
Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely said the attack was inspired by the upcoming Paris peace conference and should be taken by the international community as proof that the Palestinians are not interested in peace.
Sister of Jerusalem ramming driver calls attack ‘most beautiful martyrdom’
The sister of the 28-year-old Palestinian Fadi al-Qunbar, who carried out a ramming attack earlier on Sunday in Jerusalem, says her brother was “religious” and did not belong to any groups.
Qunbar’s sister, unnamed in the reports, says the attacker was married and a father to two girls and two boys.
When asked by a reporter for the Quds News Network what she thought of the attack, Qunbar’s sister responded, “God chose him for this martyrdom. Thank God. We are patient and we thank God for this… it is the most beautiful martyrdom.”
The sister said her family found out about her brother’s attack from Faceook and the media.
— Dov Lieber
2 soldiers still in critical condition
Two soldiers injured in the Jerusalem terror attack remain in critical condition, an IDF spokesperson says.
The soldiers were part of a group that was hit by a truck driven by an East Jerusalem man on a promenade in the capital.
In total, four soldiers were killed, and 16 soldiers were injured to varying degrees in the attack, according to Jerusalem hospitals.
Three of the soldiers killed in the attack attack were cadets in the IDF’s officers’ training course, while the fourth served in the army’s Education Corps, a military spokesperson says.
Two of the cadets, as well as the education officer, were female soldiers, the army says.
The three cadets were members of the Erez Battalion, a unit within the army’s officers’ training school.
Soldiers in the Erez Battalion come from noncombat units throughout the IDF.
— Judah Ari Gross
EU condemns ‘deliberate terror attack’
A spokesperson for European Union Foreign Affairs chief Federica Mogherini condems today’s terror attack in Jerusalem.
“This afternoon four Israelis were killed and many more injured in what appears to have been a deliberate terror attack by a truck driver on a group of people gathered in the Armon Hanatziv promenade,” a statement reads. “The EU condemns the murder of these four young Israelis, as well as any praise or incitement for terrorist acts. We extend our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and hope that those injured will make a full recovery.”
File: European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini at a press conference at the Romanian Foreign Ministry in Bucharest on October 7, 2016. (AFP/Daniel Mihailescu)
The spokesperson adds: “There can be no justification for such a crime: the EU will continue to work with those who seek peace and denounce those who pursue violence and terror.”
Kulanu minister: Expel family of Jerusalem terrorist to Syria
Construction Minister Yoav Galant (Kulanu), calls for the family of Sunday’s Jerusalem terrorist to be expelled to Syria.
Speaking before Sunday night’s security cabinet meeting, Galant tells Army Radio that Israel must deal harshly with the terrorist and his family.
“The price must be demolishing homes, expelling families – even if they are Israeli citizens,” he said, “and revoking citizenship of anyone who is connected to this incident,” he says.
“It is our duty to reach a position where someone who fights against the State of Israel while receiving state benefits will not be here. Not him, not his family,” he adds.
1st of 4 soldiers killed in ramming attack identified
The male soldier who was killed in today’s terror attack has been identified as Erez Orbach from Alon Shvut.
Three female soldiers were also killed when a truck rammed into a group of solders standing next to a tour bus in Jerusalem’s Armon Hanatziv neighborhood.
President Rivlin: Terror won’t break us
Speaking before taking off for a three-day state visit to Georgia, President Reuven Rivlin says his “heavy heart will remain in Israel,” following today’s terror attack in Jerusalem.
“I am departing now on a state visit to Georgia though my heart remains in Israel, and it is a heavy heart indeed,” the president says. “Nechama and I send our support to the families who have lost those most dear to them, and offer strength to the injured being treated in hospital. On my return, I will visit the families.”
He adds, “We had not thought for a moment that terror would never again rear its ugly head, nor will we be broken this time either, but we’ll continue to stand tall, and fight against terrorism. I send my support to the security services, who are always working against this threat, and now especially.”
Security cabinet meeting ends
An emergency security cabinet meeting, called after today’s terror attack in Jerusalem, in which four soldiers were killed, ends, after nearly two hours at the Prime Minister’s Office.
No major decisions on security measures were made, Channel 2 reports.
Security cabinet to take steps to prevent further attacks
The security cabinet, which was convened after the vehicular terror attack in Jerusalem that killed four, is taking a number of steps to punish those who celebrated the attack and to prevent others from carrying out similar attacks.
The ministers are ordering that Israelis who express solidarity with ISIS will be arrested. Arabs who were seen celebrating the terror attack should be brought to justice, the cabinet concludes.
The ministers decide not to release the terrorists’ body and to demolish his house at the earliest possible time. Requests by his family members to be reunited with relatives in Gaza will be denied. and the Jerusalem neighborhood Jabel Mukaber, from which the terrorist comes, was encircled by security forces.
— Raphael Ahren
9 suspects arrested in connection with ramming attack
Police arrest nine suspects from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber in connection with today’s ramming attack in Jerusalem, in which four soldiers were killed.
Five of those detained were from the family of Fadi al-Qanbar, identified earlier as the driver of the truck, police said.
Police think ramming was ‘lone wolf’ attack — report
Police believe the the vehicular ramming in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Armon Hanatziv in which four soldiers were killed was a ‘lone wolf’ attack, Channel 2 news reports.
The initial findings of the investigation show that Fadi al-Qanbar, a resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber identified earlier as the driver, acted alone and not part of a terror network.
Visiting the scene of the terror attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier that “all signs point to the attacker being an Islamic State supporter,” linking the ramming to similar attacks in Europe.
IDF names 3 female soldiers killed in ramming attack
The IDF names the three female soldiers killed in today’s ramming attack in Jerusalem’s Armon Hanatziv neighborhood.
Twenty-year-old Yael Yekutiel from Givataiym, 22-year-old Shir Hajaj from Ma’ale Adumim, and 20-year-old Shira Tzur from Haifa were all named as victims.
Earlier, the army announced that 20-year-old Erez Ornach from Alon Shvut was the male soldier killed in the attack.
‘More than one Milchan’
Channel 2 reports that one of the cases Benjamin Netanyahu is being investigated for involves more than one businessman providing the prime minster with gifts, as had previously been thought.
Netanyahu is reportedly being investigated under suspicions that the premier and his wife illicitly accepted cigars worth hundreds of thousands of shekels and champagne from acclaimed American-Israeli producer Arnon Milchan.
But unnamed police sources now say there are numerous “sugar daddies” involved in the suspicions, according to Channel 2.
State Department condemns truck ramming attack
The US.State Department condemns the truck-ramming attack that killed four Israeli soldiers in eastern Jerusalem.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms today’s horrific vehicular attack by a terrorist in Jerusalem. There is absolutely no justification for these brutal and senseless attacks,” Deputy Department Spokesperson Mark Toner says in a statement issued hours after the attack.
“We condemn the glorification of terrorism now or at any time and call on all to send a clear message that terrorism must never be tolerated,” the statement also says.
— JTA
Assad says Syrian forces on road to victory after retaking Aleppo
Syrian President Bashar Assad says in an interview with French media to be aired on Monday that his forces are on the road to victory after recapturing the key city of Aleppo last month.
“We do not consider that (retaking Aleppo from the rebels) as a victory because victory will be when we have eliminated all the terrorists,” Assad said, according to a French translation of his remarks provided by France’s RTL television.
“But it is a critical moment in this war because we are on the path to victory.”
A tractor removes rubble, as the Syrian government starts to clean up areas formerly held by opposition forces in the northern city of Aleppo on December 27, 2016, in the Shaar district. (AFP/George Ourfalian)
Earlier Sunday, in Damascus, Assad told visiting French lawmakers that he was “optimistic” about new peace talks planned for later this month in Kazakhstan.
— AFP
2 protesters arrested at site of ramming attack
Police break up a protest at the site of today’s truck ramming attack in Jerusalem’s Armon Hanatziv neighborhood.
Two people were arrested after they tried to block to road next to the Hass promenade in the direction of Jabel Mukaber, the neighborhood where the driver of the truck lived, police said.
US soldier, part of anti-IS push, dies in Jordan
The US military says a soldier has died in a noncombat related incident while operating construction equipment in Jordan.
The service member was part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US military’s name for the campaign to drive Islamic State extremists out of Iraq and Syria.
Neighboring Jordan is a key Western ally in the battle against IS.
The Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve said Sunday that the US service member was killed a day earlier.
In October, a US soldier was killed by a roadside bomb near the Iraqi city of Mosul. Two other US soldiers were killed since then, one by an explosive device in northern Syria and another in a noncombat incident last week in Iraq.
— AP
Iran’s Khamenei honours Rafsanjani as ‘companion of struggle’
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei paid tribute to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the former president who died on Sunday, as a “companion of struggle,” despite differences between them.
“The loss of my companion of struggle, whose cooperation with me dated back 59 years, is difficult and overwhelming,” Khamenei says in a statement quoted by the state broadcaster’s website.
Iranian former president and head of the Expediency Council, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani arriving for a press conference after registering his candidacy for the upcoming Assembly of Experts elections at the interior ministry in Tehran, December 21, 2015. (AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE)
“The different opinions and interpretations at time in this long period could never entirely break up the friendship” between us, he adds.
— AFP
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