Israel works to build int’l support for operation
The Foreign Ministry had a positive view on world responses to Operation Guardians of the Walls, as it worked to preserve Israel’s international legitimacy to continue fighting against Hamas.
The assessment came a day after a security cabinet source said that Israel has not faced significant pressure to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas. Several senior Israeli sources have said in recent days that the US is not pushing for a ceasefire.
“The fact that most of the international community supports Israel’s stance of defending itself is a result of [ambassadors’] extensive and important diplomatic activities since the events broke out, and the conversations I had with dozens of Foreign Ministers around the world,” Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said on Thursday.
team that he was attacked with rocks and pepper spray.
Dr. Sharon Greenberg at Ichilov Hospital said the soldier had been taken to the trauma center where scans revealed skull fractures and internal bleeding.
Another Jewish man was stabbed near a mosque in Lod while making his way to a synagogue on Thursday morning, Lod Mayor Yair Revivo told Army Radio.
The victim was reported to be in moderate condition.
The stabbing suspect escaped the scene and the circumstances of the incident is under investigation, police said.
On Thursday afternoon, a Jewish family including three young children mistakenly entered the Arab town of Umm el-Fahm by car and were attacked by rioters who caused severe damage to the vehicle.
On Thursday night, Arab rioters clashed with police in the Arab neighborhood of Wadi Nisnas, close to the downtown area, and “disturbed the public order and threw stones,” police said.
And N12 reported that a 66-year-old woman was slightly injured after stones were thrown at her while she stood at a bus station in Haifa’s Hadar neighborhood.
In an incident at Tel Aviv’s Hatikva Quarter, Kan News’ reporter Yoav Zehavi and his cameraman Rolik Nowitzki were attacked by an extreme rightwing mob while reporting from the scene.
Zehavi later said he filed a complaint with the police.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Lod earlier in the day, and said during that there is no greater threat than the internal disturbances brewing throughout the country.
Nightly riots have broken out throughout the city in recent days, amid the escalation between Jews and Arabs at the Temple Mount and subsequently Israel and terror groups in the Gaza Strip.
“What we need now is strength and power, and support for the police,” Netanyahu said, adding that IDF forces can be brought into the city if needed to restore order, as former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin did in the past.
Two police cars were torched in the Arab town of Kafr Kassem on Thursday morning, and a hotel was set on fire in Acre. The blaze spread to a nearby building.
Large groups of “armed” Jewish extremists were documented entering Lod, N12 reported. Messages and materials circulated on social media throughout Thursday calling on Jewish citizens to take part in riots and violent protests throughout Israel.
Kan News said that events such as this were planned for Bat Yam, Jerusalem, Haifa and Jaffa, with groups of far-right Jewish extremists claiming that the planned confrontations set for Thursday night were to “protect Jews and deter the terrorists.”
Police said they opened numerous investigations to identify the instigators.
The far-right Jewish organization Lehava, whose ideology abhors assimilation and coexistence between Jews and Arabs, said it would hand out pepper spray and tear gas to activists starting next week.
“Tonight at 8 p.m. in Haifa we are going to show Haifa’s Arab’s that this is a Jewish city,” read a screenshot of one of the flyers for the planned riots, shared by N12.
Police are asking for the public and city leaders to exercise restraint amid the recent escalations.
A separate report by N12 said that Jewish extremist groups in Bat Yam could be seen gathering throughout the city on their way to the promenade to start their demonstration.