Comments (0)Israeli Jews Burn New Testament
Jerusalem
JTA Wire Service
Israeli Jews burned copies of the New Testament after a deputy mayor called for a purge of missionary texts. Israel’s daily Ma’ariv carried a front-page story Tuesday about a bonfire of the New Testament and other Christian texts held in Ohr Yehuda on Monday at the prompting of Deputy Mayor Uzi Aharon. Asked about Monday’s incident in an Army Radio interview, Aharon acknowledged calling on community members to throw out missionary literature delivered to their homes but denied involvement in the book-burning or knowing that Christian bibles were included.
He said he acted alone and not on behalf of the municipality. A lawyer representing Israel’s messianic Jewish community demanded that police investigate the incident, arguing that it could incite violence. Aharon noted that Israeli law also places curbs on proselytizing Jews and said those who had distributed the Christian pamphlets in Ohr Yehuda should be prosecuted.
Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian at Checkpoint
Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian suspected of trying to detonate a bomb at a West Bank checkpoint. Troops stationed at the Hawara checkpoint outside Nablus fatally shot the man Monday after he behaved suspiciously. Witnesses told the Palestinian news agency Maan that the man refused the soldiers’ orders to lift his shirt, a standard precaution for spotting terrorists with bomb vests. When he made a sudden move toward his midriff, he was shot. Israeli security sources said three pipe bombs were found on the Palestinian’s body. It was not immediately clear if he belonged to an established terrorist group. The incident was likely to color Israel’s deliberations on Palestinian Authority requests for the mass removal of West Bank checkpoints.
Israel Removes West Bank Roadblock
Israel removed a key West Bank roadblock as part of efforts to ease conditions for Palestinians. A military roadblock at Sheep Junction, south of Hebron, was dismantled late Saturday under a deal brokered by Israeli-Palestinian peace mediator Tony Blair. Blair, who represents the Quartet of foreign powers, has been pushing Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to remove more roadblocks in hope this would make it easier for Palestinians to travel around the West Bank and allow the administration of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to press ahead with a security campaign. Hebron’s Jewish settlers had urged Barak to keep the Sheep Junction roadblock in place, saying it helped prevent attacks on them by Palestinian terrorists. On Sunday, Israel lifted a closure that had been imposed last week on the West Bank and Gaza Strip for President Bush’s visit.
This story reprinted courtesy of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.