Four Killed in Jerusalem Synagogue Attack (NEW YORK TIMES)
By JODI RUDOREN and ISABEL KERSHNERNOV. 18, 2014
Quotes:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has repeatedly said he will not alter the status quo at the site, [“a holy site in the Old City known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.”] where non-Muslims are allowed to visit but not openly pray. Even so, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority has called on Palestinians to protect the area and has warned of a “holy war” if it is “contaminated” by Jews.
“They carried out this operation because of the fire in their hearts — they were under pressures, pressures, pressures, and in one ripe moment, the explosion took place,” said a relative of the attackers who gave his name as Abu Salah, holding photographs of the men. “I say in full mouth, it is a religious war which Netanyahu has started,” he added. “It will end the way we like.”
Mr. Netanyahu called Tuesday’s attack “the direct result of the incitement” led by Mr. Abbas and Hamas, the militant Palestinian faction, and vowed to “respond with a heavy hand to the brutal murder of Jews who came to pray, and were eliminated by despicable murderers.”
The prime minister ordered the demolition of the homes of the perpetrators of the recent assaults. According to a statement from his office, he also “directed that enforcement against those who incite toward terrorist attacks be significantly increased.” The statement referred to “the series of additional decisions that have been made to strengthen security throughout the country,” but it offered no specifics. [my emphases]
Israeli emergency personnel carry the body of an Israeli man from the synagogue, a complex that houses several prayer groups and a large community hall on a quiet street in Har Nof. The four victims were all rabbis, one born in England and three in the United States. Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images (click)
People react after the killings in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of West Jerusalem. Ilia Yefimovich/Getty Images (click)
The two Palestinians were identified by relatives as cousins Odai Abed Abu Jamal, left, and Ghassan Muhammad Abu Jamal. Ahmad Gharabli/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images (click)
–
Comment: nikobakos@gmail.com
–
Leave a comment