Kerry seeks calm in Mideast as Moscow-Ankara ties suffer

Thousands at Mount Herzl funeral for Ziv Mizrahi

Thousands of mourners are attending the funeral of Ziv Mizrahi, the 19-year-old soldier stabbed to death at a gas station along Highway 443 in the West Bank yesterday, Walla news reports.

The funeral, at Jerusalem Mount Herzl Military Cemetery, is attended by MK Moti Yogev and Jerusalem chief rabbi Shlomo Amar, among others, according to Ynet news.

Russia says downing of jet by Turkey ‘very serious’

Russia has condemned the downing of a warplane on the Turkish-Syrian border but refused to comment further after Ankara said it had shot down the plane.

“It is a very serious incident,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells reporters. “It would be wrong to make some assessments, proposals or announcement when we don’t have the full picture.”

— AFP

MK Magal in trouble over sexual harassment claims

Jewish Home MK Yinon Magal has been summoned for a meeting with party leader Naftali Bennett, after two women came forward earlier in the day to say that he made sexual advances to them while they worked under him at Walla news.

Magal responded to the charges, made on Facebook, by writing on the social media site that there are things he did before he was a lawmaker that he would rather not recall.

“I apologize and request forgiveness from anyone I hurt,” he writes. “That being said, I would expect from a friend that was hurt by me to tell me so and not to turn to shaming on social media.”

In response, Ariel Waysman, the husband of one of the women who came forward, writes on Magal’s Facebook wall: “I would expect a Jewish Home MK not to fuck my wife.”

Father says son Mizrahi died a hero just like his uncle

The father of Ziv Mizrahi delivers an angry and defiant eulogy at his son’s funeral, comparing the fatal stabbing Monday to the death of his brother, who was killed while trying to thwart a suicide bomber 12 years ago.

“Erase the memory of all the Arabs. The nation of Israel lives and they won’t break us,” he says, according to Israel National News.

“I am going to sit shiva and go back to work. They won’t break us. I thought i had finished with this after I mourned my brother years ago, but he didn’t die for nothing, he exploded along with the terrorist and prevented more casualties. So, also my Ziv was not just stabbed in the back for nothing, he shot and saved his commander. We are a strong family and will go on. Am Yisrael Chai.”

West Bank top cop hangs up gun

The Israeli police commander in charge of the West Bank has announced he is stepping down for “personal reasons.”

“I cherish the privilege that was given me to affect the lives of citizens in Israel and contribute to their safety,” Shlomi Michael says in a statement.

According to Walla, Michael informed freshly minted police commissioner Roni Alsheich of his intention to quit the force after 33 years several weeks ago.

NATO to hold emergency powwow over Russian jet

NATO will hold an emergency meeting after Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet along the Syrian border that Ankara said had violated its airspace, an official says.

Tuesday’s meeting of the North Atlantic Council, the alliance’s main decision-making body, will be held at Turkey’s request, says an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements.

The council, composed of ambassadors from the United States and NATO’s 27 other member countries, will convene at 5 p.m. Israel time.

The official said “the aim of this extraordinary NAC meeting is for Turkey to inform allies about the downing of a Russian airplane.”

On October 5, following two earlier Russian violations of Turkish airspace reported by Turkey, the NAC accused Russia of “irresponsible behavior,” and sternly warned Moscow it was courting “extreme danger” by sending its warplanes into the skies of an alliance member country.

— AP

Rivlin tuned in to Tom and Kerry

Awaiting the arrival of US Secretary of State John Kerry to the President’s Residence, President Reuven Rivlin posts on Facebook a picture of a cat — likely one of the city’s ever-present strays, lounging on the red carpet.

“The presidential cat waiting for the arrival of John Kerry,” Rivlin writes.

One Russian pilot dead, fate of second unknown

A spokesman for the rebel group that captured a Russian pilot whose plane was shot down over northwestern Syria says he was dead upon landing.

Jahed Ahmad of the 10th Brigade in the Coast tells The Associated Press that the two Russian crew members tried to land in their parachutes in government-held areas after they ejected, but came under fire from members of his group.

He adds that rebels shot one of the pilots, who landed dead on the ground on Tuesday.

Several videos circulating online and shared on opposition social media sites purported to show the dead pilot surrounded by rebels from different factions.

Fadi Ahmed, a spokesman for the First Coastal Front rebel group, says “the Russian pilot was killed by gunfire as he fell with his parachute” in the Jabal Turkman area of Latakia province.

“The 10th Brigade (rebel group) transferred the body of the dead Russian to the local rebel joint operations room,” adds Omar Jablawi, a media activist working with rebels in the area.

The sources say rebels are still searching for the second Russian pilot of the Su-24 aircraft, which Ankara said was downed by Turkish forces.

— Agencies

MK pulls out from panel over Magal attendance

Zionist Union MK Yoel Hasson says on Twitter he has rescinded his participation in a university discussion because of the planned attendance of fellow MK Yinon Magal, under fire after two women said he sexually harassed them.

Hasson calls on other lawmakers and students to also boycott the Bar-Ilan University event and blackball Magal.

Putin says downing of jet will impact ties with Turkey

Russian President Vladimir Putin warns that the downing of a Russian jet over Syria by Turkish planes will have repercussions for Moscow-Ankara relations, AFP reports.

He says the jet was hit four kilometers inside Syria and did not pose a threat to Turkey’s airspace or forces.

Visibly angry, Putin accuses Turkey of funding Islamic State and “stabbing us in the back.”

Turkish attache summoned by Russian defense officials

In a sign of further deteriorating ties between Moscow and Ankara, Turkish Daily Hurriyet reports that Turkey’s defense attache in Moscow has been summoned to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Minutes earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin branded the downing by Turkey of a Russian warplane on the Syrian border “a stab in the back committed by accomplices of terrorists.”

“I cannot call what happened today anything else,” he said at a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah.

Police: No special unit to probe Magal claims

A police spokesperson says reports of a special investigative unit set up to probe claims of sexual harassment made against MK Yinon Magal by employees of Walla news is false, though police are looking into the allegations.

Earlier, daily Haaretz reported that a special unit had been convened to probe the claims.

The paper reports that it has received several complaints beyond the two revealed on social media, of workers at a goodbye party who say Magal, formerly the editor of Walla, tried to kiss them.

“I knew it would explode,” one tells Haaretz. “He thought he could do anything. He smoked drugs in front of everyone. I saw he was grabbing girl’s butts and trying to kiss them. He didn’t grab anybody by force, like, it was on the edge. But I knew this would end him.”

Turkey says it acted within rights against Russian fighter

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has defended Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian fighter jet at the border with Syria, saying Turkey has the right “to take all kinds of measures” against border violations according to international laws.

Davutoglu says Turkey will not hesitate to take all steps to protect the country’s security, calling it Turkey’s “national duty.” He stresses that the action does not amount to an aggression against any foreign territory.

Davutoglu also calls on the international community to work toward “extinguishing the fire that is burning in Syria.”

Turkey says it shot down the Russian plane after it violated Turkish airspace and ignored repeated warnings.

— AP

French cops raid radical cleric who housed suspect linked to attacks

Seventy French police backed by two security helicopters have raided the home of a radical Muslim preacher in the Pyrenees.

The raid in the town of Artigat targets Olivier Corel, according to an official with the gendarme service. It is part of stepped-up security measures under a state of emergency declared in the wake of November 13 attacks that killed at least 130 people in addition to seven Islamic extremist attackers.

Authorities believe Corel lodged Fabien Clain, reported to have been the voice on an Islamic State French-language claim of responsibility for the Paris attacks. Clain was convicted in 2009 for involvement in a network sending extremist fighters to Iraq.

Corel is also believed to have figured in the religious life of Frenchman Mohammed Merah, who killed a rabbi and three children at a Jewish school and three paratroopers in southern France in 2012.

— AP

Kerry: No justification for violence against Israelis

US Secretary of State John Kerry meets with President Reuven Rivlin, telling him that he condemns Palestinian violence and sees no justification for it.

“This is a challenge to all civilized people. We all have a responsibility to condemn that violence, to make it clear that you know no frustration, no politics, no ideology, no emotion, justifies taking innocent lives,” he says according to Rivlin’s spokesperson, echoing earlier comments made with Netanyahu.”I stand here with you to express our outrage at this kind of violence, to condemn this violence, and to make it clear that Israel not only has a right to defend itself, but has an obligation to do so. The United States will continue to stand with Israel in support of your desire to live in peace and stability, without that violence.”

Kerry also mentions US terror victim Ezra Schwartz, who he says hailed from his home state of Massachusetts.

Rivlin tells Kerry that the world must unite against terror, but it doesn’t excuse Israel from seeking peace with the Palestinians.

“All free nations are facing the threat of radical Islam — which is the product of hate not of faith — and all of us must work together against this great evil. We do not need to apologize for our belief in freedom. At the same time, while the world continues to face this threat, it does not take away from our duty, here, to find a way, to build trust between us and the Palestinians; between us and our neighbors. We can and must, show the world that we can live together in peace,” he says, according to his spokesman.

Turkmen rebels say they killed both Russian pilots

Turkmen rebels are claiming they shot two Russian pilots who ejected over Syria after their jet was shot down by Turkish forces, the Dogun news agency reports.

“We shot the pilots while they were landing with parachutes. Their bodies are here,” Turkmen Deputy Commander to the 2nd Coast Division Alpaslan Çelik tells the news agency.

Earlier, rebels said they had killed one pilot as he parachuted to the ground, but the fate of the second person in the plane was unknown.

Hamas: Kerry unwelcome after accusing us of terrorism

A Hamas spokesman has come out against John Kerry’s visit to the region, during which the US secretary of state said Israel had the right to defend itself from Palestinian attacks.

“We in Hamas condemn Kerry’s statement in which he considered the Palestinian Intifada as terrorism, and we regard these remarks as an evidence of the US’s bad intentions and absolute support of the Israeli terrorism,” spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri says in a statement posted to the Hamas website.

“We consider Kerry’s visit unwelcome and insulting to Palestinians, and we call on the Palestinian Authority to reject it.”

Kerry, who already met with Netanyahu and Rivlin, is scheduled to round out his trip Tuesday evening with a meeting in Ramallah with PA President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hollande in Washington for talks with Obama

President Francois Hollande of France has arrived in Washington for talks with US President Barack Obama on how to confront the threat posed by the Islamic State group in the wake of the Paris attacks.

The French president landed at Andrews Air Force Base outside the US capital, and is to go directly to the White House for talks followed by a joint press conference.

Hollande’s trip to Washington is part of a frantic week of shuttle diplomacy by the French leader to rally global support to fight IS.

Hollande will hold talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris on Wednesday and with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, before receiving Chinese Premier Xi Jinping in the French capital on Sunday.

— AFP

PM to Kerry: No easing West Bank restrictions until calm

Benjamin Netanyahu told John Kerry that no steps would be taken to improve the security and economic situation for Palestinians in the West Bank until calm is fully restored, a senior Israeli official familiar with the talks says.

Netanyahu says there is no settlement freeze and there won’t be one, the official says. If the international community wants Israel to okay building plans for Palestinians it should recognize Israel’s construction in the settlement blocs, he told Kerry.

During their meeting, Netanyahu also told Kerry that the core of the problem is “religious incitement” by the PA on social media, especially surrounding the Temple Mount.

“The PA participates in the incitement,” Netanyahu is said to have told Kerry.

— Raphael Ahren

British carriers cancel Sharm flights until December or January

British Airways and easyJet have canceled flights to Sharm el-Sheikh until at least January, as Britain advises its citizens to avoid travel there after last month’s downing of a Russian passenger jet.

Britain and several other countries canceled all flights to the Egyptian resort after an Airbus 321 operated by Russian airline Metrojet crashed Oct. 31, killing 224 people. The Islamic State militant group says it downed the plane with a bomb.

Almost 20,000 British vacationers were repatriated, and the Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to the Red Sea resort’s airport.

EasyJet says that after discussions with the government, it had decided not to resume flights “until the government’s advice changes.” It scrapped flights until at least January 6, offering passengers a refund or a flight to another destination.

British Airways said it was suspending flights to Sharm el-Sheikh until January 14.

British holiday carriers Monarch, Thomson and Thomas Cook have stopped flying to the airport until dates in December.

— AP

Top Russian diplomat cancels trip to Turkey

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has canceled a planned trip to Turkey in the wake of the downing of a Russian warplane by Turkey.

The meeting between Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart had been scheduled for Wednesday.

Lavrov was quoted by news agency Interfax as saying that President Vladimir Putin “directly said that (the downing) cannot but affect Russian-Turkish relations. In this regard, it decided to cancel the meeting, which was planned for tomorrow.”

One of Russia’s largest travel agencies also says it will suspend selling package tours to Turkey as of Wednesday, citing security concerns.

Natali Tours says in a statement its offices in Russia and former Soviet republics would stop sending tourists to Turkey due to “an unstable political situation.”

It also cites Putin’s decree that suspended flights earlier this month to Egypt on security concerns in the aftermath of the October 31 plane crash over the Sinai peninsula.

Nearly 4.5 million Russians visited Turkey last year, 12 percent of all tourists there, second only to Germany.

— AP

German police hunt top Paris suspect after tip

Police in northwestern Germany say they’re investigating a tip received from a member of the public that a suspect wanted in the Paris attacks may be hiding out in a rural area near Hanover.

Bielefeld police said Tuesday that they had been given a specific address in the nearby Minden-Luebbecke area where Salah Abdeslam was alleged to have been hiding, but so far after “an intensive investigation” have not found any sign that he had been there.

Abdeslam is thought to have crossed into Belgium the morning after the attacks and is the subject of a massive manhunt.

— AP

French citizens not terrorists but booted from Cyprus anyway

Cyprus will send back to Switzerland Tuesday six French citizens who had been detained at an airport on suspicion of extremist links but now not considered to be a danger, authorities say.

The six — five men of Turkish descent and one of Algerian origin — were detained Saturday evening after arriving at Larnaca airport on a flight from Basel, Switzerland, police said.

There was no indication they had planned to stay in Cyprus but were more likely in transit, Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou said Monday, without specifying if they were headed for Syria.

Police say the men were not deemed terrorists but are still being sent back after being denied entry into the country.

“These people are not considered terrorists but we had our reasons for denying them entry and they are being sent back today,” police spokesman Andreas Angelides tells AFP, without elaborating.

— AFP

Russian journalists injured in Syria

The Russian Defense Ministry says three Russian journalists have been injured while traveling to front-line positions in Syria.

The ministry says the three journalists on the way to a village in the government-controlled province of Latakia were slightly injured when a missile landed near their car. The ministry says the journalists were taken to a hospital at the Russian military base.

News reports say two of the journalists are from the state-funded RT satellite TV channel and one from the state news agency Tass.

— AP

Shots reported fired at car in West Bank; no injuries

A driver is reporting she was shot at in the West Bank near the settlement of Beit El, according to news site NRG.

There are no injuries in the reported attack, which took place on a road between Beit El and the Givat Asaf outpost, near Ramallah. Officials are investigating.

Russian helicopter blown up by Syrian rebels

Syrian rebels and activists say they have targeted and destroyed a Russian-made helicopter operated by the Syrian army near the area where a Russian warplane was downed by Turkey.

A rebel spokesman, Zakaria al-Ahmad, says the chopper was flying low over mountains in Latakia province, allegedly searching for the missing Russian pilots on Tuesday.

Al-Ahmad says the rebels fired a Tao missile that destroyed the helicopter after it landed and its pilots had left the aircraft.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the chopper made an emergency landing in the area and its pilots ejected before the aircraft was hit. It was not clear why it made an emergency landing.

A video posted online purports to show the helicopter being blown up. The authenticity of the video cannot be immediately confirmed.

–– AP

Amazon covers NYC subway with Nazi symbols for ad campaign

A New York City subway has been covered with the Nazi insignia in an ad promotion for new Amazon series,“The Man in the High Castle,” a show that imagines an alternate history in which the Axis powers win World War II after exploding a nuclear device on Washington, DC.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s highly trafficked 42nd Street shuttle is covered in the Nazi and Imperial Japan insignias to promote the show

The 260 poster ads include the Nazi Reichsadler eagle but do not contain any swastikas.

Amazon Ad Campaign Covers New York Subway With Nazi Symbols https://t.co/Sg4VrnFYCK pic.twitter.com/7XAS5p3okk

— News Source 24 (@NewsSource24) November 24, 2015

MTA instituted a policy in April that bans political ads from its subways and buses. Under the resolution, MTA permits only the display of commercial advertising, public service announcements and government messages on its buses and subways.

The Amazon ads do not violate this policy, an MTA spokesman told The Gothamist, which first reported the ad campaign.

— JTA

Syrians report Israeli planes struck Hezbollah

Israeli planes have reportedly carried out airstrikes against Hezbollah forces in the Qalamoun mountains, near the border with Lebanon, according to reports in Syrian and Lebanese media.

Eight Hezbollah fighters and five Syrian regime soldiers were killed in a series of several airstrikes, according to an Syrian report quoted by Lebanese news outlet NOW.

“After several hours of reconnaissance flights above the area, Israeli planes suddenly launched two raids on a joint Assad forces and Hezbollah position in the Ras al-Maara mountains,” NOW quotes a Syrian correspondent saying.

“This was immediately followed by a third raid that targeted a position in the Qara mountains.”

“The Israeli planes resumed their attack with a fourth air raid after several minutes, targeting a Hezbollah position in western Qalamoun’s Flita Mountains,” the correspondent says.

The attacks reportedly took place Monday night.

There is no official word from Israeli sources or the IDF on the strikes.

Driver stoned south of Jerusalem

One person is lightly injured when the car she was driving in is hit by stones in the West Bank south of Jerusalem.

The stoning took place between G’vaot and the Etzion settlement bloc, according to news site 0404.

A picture from the scene shows the car’s windshield smashed.

NATO, Erdogan hold meetings on Russian jet crisis

A NATO official says the alliance has opened an extraordinary meeting on Turkey’s downing of a Russian fighter jet.

The official, who was not authorized to make public statements and spoke on condition of anonymity, said NATO’s decision-making North Atlantic Council is convening about a half-hour later than scheduled.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg is expected to make a statement following the meeting, which was called at Turkey’s request.

Turkey says the Russian plane violated Turkish airspace and repeatedly ignored Turkish warnings to leave. Moscow says the plane was inside Syria when it was shot down.

At the same time, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is convening a security meeting.

Erdogan is meeting with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu as well as Turkey’s military and intelligence chiefs on Tuesday.

— AP

Obama: Paris rampage was an attack on the world itself

US President Barack Obama is holding a joint press statement with French President Francois Hollande in Washington.

He calls that attacks in Paris an attack on all free countries.

“This was an attack on the very idea that people of different races … and backgrounds can live together in peace.”

He says it was “an attack on the world itself,” mentioning terror in a number of countries, though notably not Israel.

Russia can play more constructive role in Syria — Obama

Obama says airstrikes in Syria and Iraq have pushed the Islamic State back, and says the country is also doing much to protect the homeland, including sharing information with France and other allies.

Calls on the European Union to make airlines share passenger information.

He says Russia could play a more constructive role if its strikes targeted the Islamic State.

He adds that both he and the French leader agree Syrian President Bashar Assad has to go.

Obama: Don’t let terrorists make us revoke rights for security

Obama says defeating the Islamic State will take more than increased work by security forces, i.e. not succumbing to fear.

“We cannot allow fear to divide us, that’s how terrorists win,” he says, saying they won’t change the way Americans live their lives.

“We’re vigilant, we take precautions, but we go about our business,” he says. “Americans will not be terrorized.”

He continues that what this means is keeping in place freedom of religion and equality before the law, opposing increased security measures that would clamp down on rights.

He defends his program to bring in Syrian refugees, saying they go through vigorous vetting, and says the US is happy to share its expertise with France, which will also continue to take in refugees.

Make no mistake, we will beat Islamic State, Obama says

Obama says the upcoming Paris climate conference, which will draw dozens of world leaders, will be a “powerful rebuke to terrorists.”

“Make no mistake, we will win and groups like ISIL will lose,” he says, ending with Vive la France.

Hollande: France was attacked for its culture

Hollande, speaking now, says Obama was the first to call him on the night of the terror attacks over a week ago, telling him the US stood by France in the fight against terror.

“Our two peoples together merged as one,” Hollande says, recalling American solidarity in the wake of the attacks.

Hollande says France was attacked ” for its culture, our way of living as well as our values, our principles. but by targeted France, these terrorists were targeting the world,” echoing Obama’s comments.

Russia needs to cooperate against IS, Assad, Hollande says

Hollande also ticks off a number of places Islamic State has attacked around the world, saying the terror group will not be able to cow the world.

He says the group will be destroyed “wherever they are,” and their financing destroyed and the land they control wrested back.

Hollande says the US and France are upping intelligence on where to strike, and calls on Turkey to close its border with Syria to stop fighters from leaving for Europe.

He says Assad needs to step down, and says he can’t imagine Syrian people wanting him to stay in power.

He defends the continue intake of refugees, saying rejecting them would mean rejecting “who we are.” Still he calls for refugees to stay in Turkey.

He says he will tell Putin France can only work with Russia if they concentrate their strikes against IS and commits to seeing Assad go.

“We do not want to exclude anyone, but we want to make sure that this political solution can eradicate terrorism.”

Obama: If Russia were going after IS, jet wouldn’t be shot by Turkey

Asked about the Russian plane being shot down and whether military coordination is still possible, Obama says he plans to speak to Turkish President Erdogan.

“Turkey has a right to defend its territory and its airspace,” he says.

He calls for Moscow and Ankara to get together and prevent an escalation.

Says it points to an ongoing problem, that they are near the Turkish border and going after rebels supported by Turkey. Says if Russia were only going after Islamic State and not moderate rebels, this wouldn’t happen.

“Russia is welcome to be part of this broad-base coalition that is being set up,” Obama says. “The challenge has been Russia’s focus on propping up Assad rather than fighting ISIL.”

Hollande: Fight in Syria should only be against terrorism

Hollande calls the incident “serious,” and calls to prevent an escalation.

He says the only thing they should be doing is fighting terrorism and the Islamic State.

The president says he will tell Putin that the strikes must be “against Daesh, against terrorism, and those that are threatening us, they are threatening Russia.”

He adds that the French warship in the region is sharing intelligence with the Russians.

Fight against IS to be ‘intensified,’ ‘accelerated’

Asked what date Assad must go, Hollande demurs, saying only it must be as soon as possible.

He says strikes against Islamic state will be ‘intensified.”

Obama says there has been some success against Islamic State, but it can be “accelerated,” and he convened his security council to discuss how even before the Paris attacks.

He says fixing Syria will be hard. “Syria has broken down,” he says.

Police to check into opening probe against Magal over harassment claims

The polcie are expected to probe whether there is sufficient reason to open a criminal investigation MK Yinon Magal, after a number of women came forward and said he sexually harassed them while he was editor in chief at Walla.

According to Channel 2, Magal spent the afternoon in consultations with his lawyer.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein would need to sign off on a criminal investigation should police want to pursue that course, according to Ynet.

US, NATO say Russian plane breached Turkey before being shot

A US defense official in Washington and a NATO diplomat say the Russian plane entered Turkish airspace before Turkey shot it down.

The US official says the Russian plane flew across a 2-mile section of Turkish airspace, meaning it was in Turkish airspace only for a matter of seconds. The official said it was in the sliver of Turkish territory that juts down near the juncture of Idlib and Latakia provinces.

The NATO diplomat says the Turks reported two separate violations of their airspace, including one that lasted 17 seconds.

The diplomat says the Turks played the warning messages they sent to the Russians in a closed-door meeting of NATO’s North Atlantic Council and that they sent 21 warnings in five minutes.

The diplomat says authorities in Ankara had one-on-one contacts with the Russians to stress how seriously they took the matter after previous Russian intrusions into Turkish skies last month, and that “clearly the Russians had been disrespecting the rules of the game and sovereign air territory.”

Both the US official and the NATO diplomat speak on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details about the case.

— AP

Paris attack leader planned suicide bombing week after carnage

The suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks and an accomplice planned to blow themselves up in a suicide attack on the city’s La Defense business district, Paris prosecutor Francois Molins tells reporters..

Belgian jihadist Abdelhamid Abaaoud aimed to target the area in western Paris in the week after the November 13 carnage, which left 130 people dead in the French capital, he says.

— AFP

NATO chief calls for calm between Russia, Turkey

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has called on all parties to be prudent and to contribute to reducing tensions after Turkey downed a Russian jet it says violated its airspace.

Stoltenberg says the situation is serious, but that he hopes for renewed contacts between Turkey and Russia.

He says the assessments of other NATO members supported the Turkish version of events.

NATO deputy spokesperson Carmen Romero adds that “NATO is monitoring the situation closely” and are in close contact with Turkish authorities.

— AP

Report: Israel mulling transfer of 10K dunams to PA in goodwill move

The Civil Administration, which acts as the IDF’s liason to the Palestinian population in the West Bank, is considering the possibility of transferring some 10,000 dunams (about 3.8 square miles) of land currently under Israeli control to the Palestinian Authority, Channel 2 reports.

The move would be intended as a goodwill gesture to the Palestinians in exchange for likewise gestures from Ramallah aimed at calming the violence that has rocked the region.

There is no official confirmation of the plan, which comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry is in the region to try and ease tensions.

The move would likely anger the right flank of Netanyahu’s government.

Netanyahu reprimands Hazan over remarks against disabled MK

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he reprimanded MK Oren Hazan over remarks he made belittling fellow MK Karen Elharar over a physical disability in the Knesset.

“I cannot tolerate racism, I cannot suffer discrimination, and I cannot stand abuse, not against you and not against anyone,” he says at an event for the Ethiopian-Israeli community. “Today in the Knesset something happened, something serious. I asked to check the details and they indeed took place. An MK from my party said something wrong to MK Karin Elharar, something it is forbidden to say and I condemn it totally. I called this MK and reprimanded him and told him that these things he said cannot be heard.”

Hostage situation reported in northern France

There is a hostage situation in northern France, near the border with Belgium, according to several reports.

There may be gunshot victims.

There is speculation it could be linked to a manhunt for Paris attacker Sala Abdeslam.

Children possible among hostages in Roubaix

On Twitter, some are reporting that children are among the hostages in Roubaix, near the border with Belgium.

Several people are reported wounded in a possible shootout with police.

|@RamiAlLolah: Another #photo from Roubaix, hostages being held. Security forces in extreme alert #France #Belgium pic.twitter.com/ibU5nEYhJo”

— sas (@saserief) November 24, 2015

Court rejects appeal to stop cremation of trans woman

The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by the family of May Peleg, a transgender woman who committed suicide last week, paving the way for her body to be cremated.

A court ruled last week that her body could be cremated in accordance with her will, after her family, which is ultra-Orthodox, said it wanted to give her a Jewish burial.

“Since there is no legal impediment to carrying out the free will of Peleg in cremating her body, her will should be honored and her body should be transferred to the Alei Shalechet [crematorium] — despite her family’s opposition,” judge Neal Hendel writes in the decision, according to Ynet.

Hostage situation may not be terror-related

France 2 reports that the hostage situation in northern France may not be a terror attack, but rather a bank robbery gone wrong.

Bank manager’s family said among hostages

Sky News reports that a bank manager’s family is among the hostages. Gunshots have been fired, it reports.

“An operation is underway after hostages were taken. Gunshots were fired and the neighborhood has been cordoned off,” a police source tells Reuters. “A bank director and his family may have been taken as hostages.”

Mayor of French town says it’s a robbery

The mayor’s office says the Roubaix suspect or suspects “carried out a robbery” after which they took hostages. A special police unit has been dispatched, the office says.

— AFP

Possible car-ramming reported in West Bank

Initial reports indicate there has been a car-ramming attack at the Hizma junction north of Jerusalem. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Details to come.

No injuries in car-ramming attempt

A police spokesperson reports that a car attempted to ram into a group of Israelis, likely soldiers, at Hizme.

An Israeli opens fire at the car, which flees the scene.

There are no injuries reported, police say.