A7News: Four Killed in Terror Attack at Jerusalem Synagogue

Cheshvan 25, 5775 / Tuesday, Nov. 18 '14   Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report -http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe   Headlines 1.      Four Killed in Terror Attack at Jerusalem Synagogue 2.      Four Murder Victims in Har Nof Massacre Identified 3.      Report: Har Nof Terrorist Worked Next to Synagogue 4.      Kerry Condemns Synagogue Attack as 'Act of Pure Brutality' 5.      Har Nof Shooting 'Breaks Records for Depravity and Cruelty' 6.      Hamas, Islamic Jihad Praise Jerusalem Synagogue Massacre 7.      Chief Rabbi Calls on Muslim Religious Leaders to Condemn Attack 8.      Bennett Censured After Showing Victim in BBC Interview   1. Four Killed in Terror Attack at Jerusalem Synagogue by Tova Dvorin Four people were murdered and six people wounded Tuesday morning, after two Arab terrorists entered the Kehillat Bnai Torah Yeshiva Synagogue on Agassi Street during Shacharit (morning) prayers in Jerusalem's religious Har Nof neighborhood bearing guns, axes, and knives. Among the wounded are two policeman, one critically wounded during the shootout with the terrorists. Medics rescued him under fire. The terrorists, shouting "Allahu Akhbar", began attacking worshippers, stabbing them, before opening fire.  Initial footage of the attack has now surfaced. Shots can be heard fired in the background.  [youtube:195782] Police who arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting began shot both attackers dead, it has now been confirmed. The terrorists have been identified as Rasan and Odai Abu al Gama,l residents of the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, adjacent to Armon Hanetziv. One terrorist reportedly worked in the grocery near the synagogue, both had Israeli identity cards. "Two terrorists entered a Jewish seminary in Har Nof in Jerusalem armed with a pistol and an axe and there are seven people injured," police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement. "The two terrorists were neutralized." Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld confirmed that four people were murdered in the attack.  Medics treated the wounded at the scene before evacuation to Shaarei Tzedek and Hadassah hospitals, as photos from social media show.  "One of the worshipers came out full of blood, and said - there was a massacre," a witness told IDF Radio. "Police took only 11 minutes to arrive and paramedics arrived five minutes later." "There were people running from the synagogue, and a man sitting on the pavement covered in blood, it looked like he has been stabbed," said local resident Sarah Abrahams, who was walking past when it happened. "Two people came out with their faces half missing, looking like they'd been attacked with knives," she said as hundreds of hareidi Jews pressed up against the police tape, a few chanting "Death to terrorists." Fighting back tears, Moshe Eliezer said he had narrowly avoided being at the scene after oversleeping. "This is a yeshiva community. Ninety percent don't serve in the army. We're not violent," he said.   Police said six people were wounded, among them two policemen who had engaged in a gunbattle with the terrorists.   They said the attackers were two cousins from the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber.   Speaking to journalists at the scene, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat expressed shock at the scale of the bloodshed.     "To slaughter innocent people while they pray... it's insane," he said. Arie Shavit, a volunteer medic for United Hatzalah, spoke to Arutz Sheva Tuesday shortly after the shooting. He was one of the first to arrive at the scene. "Two terrorists infiltrated the synagogue and massacred worshipers during prayer," he stated, noting the worshipers were "wearing prayer shawls and phylacteries."   "I and other volunteers of United Hatzalah provided primary care to a number of casualties suffering from different injuries, and unfortunately some of them were injured critically," he continued. "The Police came and neutralized the terrorists. This was an attack - one which included shootings and stabbings."  Hamas and Islamic Jihad praised the massacre, with a Hamas spokesperson saying it was a "response" to the suicide of an Arab bus driver Monday, which Islamists have nevertheless been blaming on "Israeli settlers" in order to stoke further tension. [album:open Post Comment   2. Four Murder Victims in Har Nof Massacre Identified by Ido Ben-Porat, Tova Dvorin A media gag order has been lifted on the full list of victims of Tuesday morning's massacre in Har Nof, Jerusalem - where two Palestinian Arabs brutally murdered four people and wounded eight others as they were in the midst of morning prayers.  The four victims were Rabbi Moshe Twersky, hy"d, 'Rosh Kollel' for the 'Torat Moshe' yeshiva; Rabbi Kalman Levine, hy"d; Aryeh Kupinsky, hy"d, and Avraham Shmuel Goldberg, hy"d.  Rabbi Twersky's funeral will be held at 2:00 pm at the Torat Moshe yeshiva in Sanhedria.  The funeral services for Rabbi Levine, Mr. Kupinsky, and Mr. Goldberg will be held at 3:00 pm at the synagogue in which they were murdered, the Kehillat Bnai Torah Yeshiva Synagogue in Har Nof.  [album:open Post Comment   3. Report: Har Nof Terrorist Worked Next to Synagogue by Orli Harari and Tova Dvorin One of the terrorists behind Tuesday's massacre in Har Nof's "Kehilit Yaakov" synagogue worked next door, Palestinian sources told IDF Radio, at a grocery store in the Jewish neighborhood.  The two, reportedly identified as cousins Uday and Rassan Abu Jamal, are also Israeli Arabs who carry blue teudat zehut identity cards.  According to reports in the Palestinian media, the terrorists are relatives of Jamal Abu Jamal, a prisoner released as part of a "political gesture" to Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas last year, in a four-part series of releases. Jamal Abu Jamal was rearrested a year ago and again earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Israel police and the Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet) have raided the homes of two terrorists in the Arab neighborhood of Jabel Mukabar and arrested several members of their families for questioning. The neighborhood has produced several terrorists responsible for large-scale attacks - including, among others, the terrorist behind the "tractor attack" near the Jerusalem light rail in August and the terrorist who carried out the 2008 Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva massacre.  Tuesday morning's massacre saw two Arab terrorists enter the Agassi St. synagogue with knives, guns, and axes before opening fire on worshippers. Four were killed and at least six other were injured; all of them were wearing the traditional prayer shawls and tefilin (phylacteries) as they were being attacked.  Police arrived at the scene approximately five minutes after the attack began and shot the terrorists dead. In response, security officials have stated that reservists will be called up to secure the city and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has called an urgent Security Cabinet meeting for later Tuesday.  Post Comment   4. Kerry Condemns Synagogue Attack as 'Act of Pure Brutality' by Arutz Sheva Staff US Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday condemned an attack on a Jerusalem synagogue that killed four Israelis as an "act of pure terror and senseless brutality". Speaking in London ahead of talks with British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Kerry called on the Palestinian leadership to denounce the attack, which was carried out by two Palestinians armed with a gun and axes in the Har Nof neighbourhood. "This morning in Jerusalem Palestinians attacked Jews who were praying in a synagogue," Kerry told reporters.   "People who have come to worship god in a sanctuary of a synagogue were... murdered in a holy place in an act of pure terror and senseless brutality and murder. "I call on the Palestinian leadership at every single level to condemn this in the most powerful terms," he added. "This violence has no place anywhere particularly after the discussion that we had just the other day in Amman." Post Comment   5. Har Nof Shooting 'Breaks Records for Depravity and Cruelty' by Tova Dvorin MKs and public officials have begun to issue official responses to the brutal massacre of praying Jews at a Har Nof, Jerusalem synagogue Tuesday morning.  "The shocking massacre in a Jerusalem synagogue this morning are the unfortunate sum of the Palestinian position: the more we toughen our stance and call for tensions to calm, the more the brutal incitement from the Palestinian Authority leadership continues and worsens," Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) stated. "Their dispatchers are not repulsed from murdering worshipers inside the synagogue sanctuary itself. They break records for depravity and cruelty." "Israel should not be dealing with those who aim to massacre innocent people within our holy places," Edelstein fired.  "I send my condolences to the families of those killed and wish the injured a speedy recovery," he added. Economics Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett also held PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas responsible for the attack. "Abbas, a leading terrorist who gave rise to the Palestinian people, was directly responsible for the blood of Jews spilled on their tallit and tefillin," Bennett stated. "While we dealt with fantasies about a political peace process, the Palestinians made us an interlocking terrorism and incitement network." "Even the concept of concrete barriers does not stop terrorism but encourages it," he continued. "Abbas declared war on Israel and we should treat it accordingly."  Shas Chairman MK Aryeh Deri also called the massacre a "declaration of war."  "The horrible massacre in a Har Nof synagogue during prayer this morning leaves no other choice for us: we are fighting for our lives," Deri stated. "I call on the Prime Minister to address the recent events as a state of war for all intents and purposes, [and launch] an operation in Jerusalem for the relentless elimination of terrorism and the restoration of peace and security of the residents." "No more 'self-defense,' no more 'restraint;' it is time to eliminate these murderous terrorists," he added.  MK Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home) agreed.  "The State of Israel must understand that this is not some 'disturbance,' like throwing stones and shooting fireworks," Slomiansky thundered. "We are at the dawn of the third intifada, in which terrorists dare to kill worshipers in the synagogue." "We are talking about animals who enter our holy places and kill people while they pray, in the name of G-d," he continued. "I call on decision-makers to do everything in order to allow the security forces to do everything they can to suppress terrorism everywhere - including [against] leaders of Hamas and the inciters headed by Abu Mazen [Abbas - ed.]." "The hands are held by the terrorists with axes, but the voice is the voice of Mahmoud Abbas," Intelligence Minister and MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) added.  "Whoever calls for Muslims to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque [Temple Mount - ed.] 'by all means' against the Jews - was directly responsible for the horrible pogrom in the synagogue in Har Nof, and the wave of attacks and bloody riots in Jerusalem." MK Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid) disagreed, however - calling for talks despite the brutal massacre. "Our daily lives have been disrupted here, whether in the street, on public transportation, or walking to a synagogue," Lavie said. "There has been little dialogue and it must commence, but in the meantime, we must increase enforcement and increase the presence of those in the streets until security is restored to Jerusalem's streets."  Other MKs, including Housing Minister MK Uri Ariel (Jewish Home), placed blame for the attack squarely on the shoulders of the European Union (EU) and US.  "When the foreign ministers of Europe and the United States condemn in weak terms the murder of Jews, and on the other hand give support to the endless incitement of Abu Mazen [Abbas - ed.], terrorists understand that the repeat of massacres like this are legitimate," Ariel stated. "I demand from the Prime Minister that he convene his Cabinet immediately and act immediately to return security to the citizens of Israel. Words do not return security."  Even Arab MKs have begun to react to news of the shooting. MK Ahmed Tibi (Balad) stated directly to Arutz Sheva a short time ago (update: 8:55 am) that he "condemned" the massacre, speaking from a journalists' conference in Eilat. "You don't do something like this in a place of worship," Tibi added.  Sarah Leah Lawent contributed to this report.  Post Comment   6. Hamas, Islamic Jihad Praise Jerusalem Synagogue Massacre by Ari Soffer Hamas and Islamic Jihad have hailed this morning's massacre at a Jerusalem synagogue, in which four worshipers were murdered and many more wounded by Palestinian terrorists. In a statement, the Hamas terrorist group said it was "a response to the murder of the martyr Yusuf Ramuni," referring to a Palestinian bus driver who committed suicide on Monday but whose death Islamists have been blaming on "settlers." "The operation in Jerusalem is a response to the murder of the martyr Yusuf Ramuni and to the series of crimes by the occupier at Al-Aqsa and Hamas calls to continue these operations," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement.   "Hamas calls for more operations like it."   Islamic Jihad echoed the comments in a separate statement.   "Islamic Jihad salutes the operation in Jerusalem which is a natural response to the crimes of the occupier," it said. In Tuesday morning's terrorist attack, two Muslim terrorists stormed a synagogue in the Jerusalem suburb of Har Nof armed with knives, axes and a pistol and proceeded to butcher Jewish worshipers during morning prayers. Police who arrived at the scene shortly after shot dead both attackers, who are believed to both be Arab residents of Jerusalem. AFP contributed to this report. Post Comment   7. Chief Rabbi Calls on Muslim Religious Leaders to Condemn Attack by Tova Dvorin The horrific massacre at a Har Nof synagogue in Jerusalem during morning prayers is reminiscent of pogroms, the Chief Ashkenazic Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau, stated Tuesday.  "The dreadful scene, [victims] soaked in blood donning praying shawls and phylacteries [tefilin - ed.] reminds us all of the riots and pogroms passed down through the generations of our people," Rabbi Lau stated.  "Jewish blood has flowed like water in the streets of Jerusalem for no reason," he continued. "These saints who were murdered join their brothers who were murdered, slaughtered and massacred in Israel and in the world, as holy martyrs."  Rabbi Lau then turned to the Muslim religious leaders, calling on them to stop the waves of terror in Jerusalem. "Muslim religious leaders must speak out, clearly and unequivocally, to condemn the murder," he urged. "They must call to stop this terrible cycle of bloodshed, in which Jews are murdered in the synagogues and in the streets of the city just because they are Jews." Tuesday morning's massacre saw two Arab terrorists enter the Agassi St. synagogue with knives, guns, and axes before opening fire on worshippers. Four were killed and thirteen were injured; all of them were wearing the traditional prayer shawls and tefilin (phylacteries) as they were being attacked.  It is the latest in several terror attacks in the capital city, after two car rampages near the Jerusalem light rail, the attempted murder of Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick, and the stabbing of a Jewish man in a Jewish neighborhood earlier this week.  Post Comment   8. Bennett Censured After Showing Victim in BBC Interview by Arutz Sheva Staff [youtube:195784] International media coverage of this morning's massacre at a Jerusalem synagogue has already come in for some criticism, with media watchdogs already pointing out a slew of headlines and stories downplaying or otherwise misrepresenting the attack. Four people were murdered and eight others wounded, four of them seriously, when two terrorists stormed Kehillat Bnai Torah Yeshiva Synagogue during morning prayers Tuesday. Harrowing images from the scene show men still wrapped in bloodied prayer shawls, their tefillin (phylacteries) scattered on the floor. In a BBC news interview following the attack, responding to a Palestinian spokesperson who railed about "Jewish murderers" in Jerusalem, Economics Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) sought to put the record straight. Echoing other Israeli leaders, he blamed Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas for inciting attacks such as the one this morning. "Abu Mazen himself incites and tells the Arab 'take arms, fight the Jews'," Bennett said, in a reference to several statements in recent weeks in which Abbas called on Palestinians to use violence. Bennett then produced a picture of one of the victim's murdered in this morning's attack, in an attempt to make his point. "This individual came this morning to pray just like many Muslims and many Jews went to pray this morning. The Muslims went home safe but four Jews will never come home again." His interviewer was less than pleased with the visual aid - despite it being no more graphic than countless other images of injured Palestinians regularly given airtime. "Sorry we don't want to actually see that picture, could you take that down," she said. Taking to Facebook after the interview, Bennett said his actions during the interview were a response to the previous interviewee's provocative remarks. "Yes, I will show this, Mrs. British interviewer," read the statement. "Now in an interview with the BBC I went on after a Palestinian spokesperson, who told of Jewish murderers in Jerusalem (!) "In response I showed the interviewer who is murdering whom. She requested I stop showing the picture. I will never stop."  Post Comment   Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report - http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe

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