1. Photographic Evidence That "Lynching" Was Staged by Media

Witnesses and photos prove the supposed "lynching" of an Arab stone-thrower last Wednesday was staged. The wounded Arab himself says he was beaten by an IDF soldier, not the man the police accuse.

Arutz-7 has received photographic evidence proving the allegations of several witnesses to the incident, who claim journalists took an active role in coaching the wounded Arab stone-thrower to play the helpless victim.

 Stage 1 - The Camera man [left] sets the stage, directing the Arab [blue pants] to lie down.

 Stage 2 - Camera man telling Arab to lie down and play unconcious.

 Stage 3 - After an impatient wait, the stage is finally set for the international and Israeli press to recreate the Medieval blood libel.

 The incident, segements of which were broadcast repeatedly on Israeli news channels, was condemned and used as a pretext for the IDF expulsion of the inhabitants of the nearby Ma'oz HaYam hotel on Gush Katif's seashore.

 A young man who wished to be identified only as "A.D." told Arutz-7 Monday that he saw reporters "go over to [the Arab youth in question] and tell him to lie down and act as if he was unconscious. Later on, he was taken out walking on his own, holding on to a soldier; all this talk of his being critically wounded is total nonsense. In addition, he was taken to a hospital in Gaza; if he was really critically wounded, they would have taken him to Soroka in Be'er Sheva." A.D. said he saw this same Arab "get hit in the head with a rock - and yet he continued to throw rocks, like a tiger, for the next 15 minutes!"

 In fact, media reports continued throughout the next day to report that he was still mortally wounded - though even Arab sources had admitted by then that he had "regained consciousness," was talking and felt fine. By Friday, the victim of the alleged "lynching" was reported to be "lightly hurt."Police announced Sunday night that they had caught an 18-year-old youth from the community of Nachliel - Shimshon HaCohen-Citrin - in the Binyamin region. They accuse him of being one of the three key people involved in the incident in which Jewish youths were filmed throwing rocks towards a supposedly critically injured Arab youth. Police are accusing Citrin of attempted murder and attacking police officers.

 Citrin's father, interviewed by Army Radio Monday morning, angrily accused the media of ganging up against his son for defending himself against Arab attackers. "The only lynch that has occurred is that perpetrated by the media against my son. This isn't the first time and it won't be the last. You haven't even examined the matter, and you're blaming Jews for things without any proof."

 The purported victim, Hilal Ziad Al-Majaydeh, said he did not remember being attacked by an 18 year-old civilian. Al-Majaydeh claims he was beaten by an IDF soldier and was knocked unconscious.

 One person who was on the scene told Arutz-7:

 "When I saw the newspaper reports the next day of what had happened, I simply felt violated. They describe it as if we all ganged up on this poor Arab. That's not what happened at all. What happened was that we were dancing and singing in a circle, as often happens in a new outpost and the like, and suddenly a gang of about 30 Arabs started smashing us with rocks. I ran away, like the others, and hid behind an army jeep. Suddenly, this youth - the one who everyone claims was 'mortally wounded' - came around from behind me and threw this big concrete block right towards my head. He almost killed me!"

 The  Honenu legal organization, which has taken upon itself to provide legal assistance for those accused of anti-disengagement protests, is taking measures to fight the current anti-protestor climate.

 "Under the current public atmosphere," said one Honenu official, "with the media continually referring to the incident as a 'lynching' and with politicians calling forcefully for the police to 'mete out justice to the lynchers' and the like, we fear that the three suspects will be sacrificed unjustly. We are coordinating and gathering all the testimony that shows the whole incident was staged and blown out of all proportion."

 Another person who was there, a teenaged girl, had this to say: "The Arabs were the ones who started throwing rocks, just like they've known how to do for the last 20 years. The media people who were there knew that this boy, the one who was 'mortally wounded,' came up to us and threw rocks - and so we threw back. It's interesting how someone who is critically wounded gets up on his legs and laughs with his friends and gets interviewed while he's critically wounded."

 As an aside, A.D. told of another provocation to which he was witness: "Another shocking incident occurred as well. I saw an IDF officer take some ninjas [small nail-and-spike contraptions], place them in front of the tire of his army jeep, and then call over some photographers to take pictures - as if to imply that Jews had put them there to puncture the army tires. When they finished taking pictures, I saw the officer take the ninjas away."

 The father of the arrested boy spoke with Arutz-7, leveling strong criticism at those in the nationalist-religious camp who immediately condemned what he called the "so-called lynching. Didn't they ever hear of the Jewish laws against accepting slander? They themselves lynched my son by sacrificing him and washing their hands of him."

 He further explained, "Violence is not a good thing, but it's not a bad thing. It's just like anything else that was created - it can be used for good or for bad. If someone comes to attack you and you use violence to protect yourself, then it's a necessary thing. That's the way it should be looked at. We know the world loves the Jews when they're weak and hates them when we're strong - but when we're strong, they respect us. I do not need the world's love or the leftist media's love - just their respect. If someone does not agree with an act that was done, the way to approach it is not to wash the dirty laundry in public. This is a boy who is the backbone of our family, whom his friends call the 'tzaddik,' and whose main occupation is sitting and learning..."

2. PA Demands Handover of Israeli Town Near Ashkelon

National Security Council Chairman Giora Eiland told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday that the Palestinian Authority is now demanding towns adjacent to Gaza be handed over.

PA security chief Mohammad Dahlan publicly voiced the PA demand that Israel withdraw from the town of Netiv Ha'asara, a small residential community south of Ashkelon, in order to complete the planned withdrawal from Gaza.

 Netiv Ha'asara, one of the few communities to relocate from Sinai and maintain its original name, has suffered many Kassam rocket attacks since the beginning of the Oslo War.

 The PA position is that Israel must withdraw to the 1949 cease-fire lines and not the lines that existed just before the 1967 Six Day War. This would bring the new PA-controlled area even closer to the coastal city of Ashkelon following an Israeli withdrawal.

 Eiland said that Dahlan's demand was "a gimmick" similar to the demands made by Hizbullah following Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon. Hizbullah has claimed that the correct border between Israel and Lebanon is not the one recognized by the United Nations, but rather the line set in the early 1920s by the British and French, who divided the region into separate zones of influence. Hizbullah claims that a number of Israeli villages along the border actually belong in Lebanon. They use that claim in order to justify continued terrorism against the Jewish State.

 Under the Oslo Accords, the PA agreed to the pre-'67 boundaries as defining the area of Gaza.

 MK Ilan Shalgi (Shinui), a member of the committee, said, "The demand regarding the border of the Gaza Strip and the location of the Erez roadblock is an oddity and contradicts the Oslo agreements."

 MK Uzi Landau (Likud) said in response to the new demands, "The Palestinians understand the weakness of our situation and are taking advantage of it."

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3. As Activists Arrested, Right Tries to Set Ground Rules

A pro-Gush Katif web site operator and a resident of Alei Sinai in possession of two M16 magazines were arrested Sunday. Today, right-wing leaders meet to set protest ground rules.

Police raided the home of a family in Karnei Shomron and arrested a person they suspected of setting up an Internet site for the National Home organization. National Home is a group dedicated to using civil disobedience in the struggle to thwart the government's Disengagement Plan, which would forcibly expel nearly 10,000 Jews from their homes in Gaza and northern Samaria.

 The web site operator was arrested on suspicion of publicizing calls from the organization's leaders to block roads as part of the group's civil disobedience campaign against the expulsion. Police seized the suspect's computer and computer disks. Police accused the suspect's wife, who ran to the aid of her husband, of interfering with the arrest, but the woman was not arrested. The suspect has thus far reserved the right to remain silent under interrogation.

 In another arrest related to anti-Disengagement activism, Alei Sinai resident Yossi Barabi was arrested by police on Sunday afternoon after two M-16 magazines were found in his home. Officials allege he was preparing for an armed resistance against the Gaza/Samaria Disengagement Plan.

 Barabi's wife Brigitte explained that the magazines were given to her husband at the time he was issued an M16 by the state, when they took up residence in northern Gaza. While Barabi had since returned his weapon, he apparently neglected to return all the magazines. Mrs. Barabi acknowledged that her husband is an outspoken opponent to the expulsion plan, but this in no way can be used to tarnish his reputation, or to depict him as a law-breaker who would possibly contemplate armed attacks on soldiers.

 Today, Knesset Members Effie Etaim (Religious Zionism Renewal), Uri Ariel (National Union) and Yuli Edelstein (Likud), all of whom now live in Gush Katif, are meeting with prominent rabbis from the Gush and around the country in order to formulate an ethical code for the struggle to stave off the Disengagement Plan. The meeting is taking place in the offices of the municipality in N'vei Dekalim. The participants will be discussing the best methods for opposing the planned expulsion as the target date for implementation, in mid-August, approaches.

 Among the clauses currently under consideration for inclusion in the "protest code" are:

 1. an absolute ban on physical violence of any kind against any security forces;

 2. an absolute ban on verbal violence against security services, such as calling policemen or soldiers "Nazis" and the like;

 3. voluntary disarmament on the part of Gush Katif and Samaria residents, with all weapons to be deposited with each community's security officer at the time of the forced evacuation. Opposition activists are operating under the assumption that the military and police forces will also arrive unarmed;

 4. recognition of the fact that the IDF is still responsible for the security of the area as far as armed conflict with the Arabs of the Gaza region is concerned. The practical import of this clause is to warn protestors against using the cover of the Disengagement for revenge attacks on Arabs in the event of continued Arab terrorism.

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4. Hizbullah Infiltrators Were Planning to Kidnap Soldiers

By Hillel Fendel

IDF Northern District Commander Benny Gantz announced Sunday night that the army prevented an attempted kidnapping of soldiers on Israel's northern border last week.

The multi-pronged Hizbullah offensive Wednesday and Thursday had terrorists infiltrate into Israel as mortar shells were fired toward northern Israeli towns and IDF border positions. One Israeli soldier was killed in the attack, Corporal Uzi Peretz, and a number of other soldiers were wounded.

 When the infiltration was detected, a tenacious IDF operation was ordered, leading to the elimination of one of the terrorists. Two others succeeded in fleeing the area, but they left their equipment behind.

 Major-General Gantz said that the infiltrators were apparently well-trained and outfitted for a prolonged operation. Among the sophisticated equipment captured by the IDF was night-vision equipment, high-tech video apparatuses, weaponry and battle rations. All the equipment had Syrian or Iranian markings, the Northern Command chief noted. He explained that it was evident the terrorists had planned to remain in the field for as long as necessary to accomplish their mission, but fortunately the border infiltration was detected by IDF forces.

 Major-General Gantz said further that, in the estimation of the IDF, and in light of the markings on the captured equipment, the terrorists had a political mission, as well - to disrupt the new order taking shape in Lebanon following the end of Syria's overt military occupation of that country. Gantz warned earlier this year that Hizbullah would continue to try to draw Israel into a military escalation in the north, as the date nears for the planned expulsion of Jewish residents from northern Samaria and Gaza.

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5. Border Policeman Dies Chasing Arab Rock Throwers

Violent protests by Israeli leftists and Arabs against the security barrier are becoming routine. A border policeman has died following Sunday's demonstration while chasing Arab rock throwers.

A border policeman was severely injured Sunday afternoon during a demonstration against the building of the security barrier near the town of Har Adar in western Binyamin.

 The officer was wounded after falling off a cliff while chasing Arabs who were throwing rocks at the border police. The officer, who apparently had fainted during the chase, fell a distance of eight meters. He was brought unconscious to Hadassah hospital at Ein Karem in Jerusalem.

 The violent demonstration was carried out by Arabs and Israeli leftists representing a group called, “Anarchists Against the Fence”.

 The clash with Arab and leftist demonstrators near Har Adar follows a similar attack that occurred last Friday near the Arab village of Bil’in, west of Ramallah. In that attack, a soldier was moderately wounded by rock throwers who hit his leg.

 Over 200 demonstrators participated in the incident. Demonstrators refused to comply with an order declaring the area a closed military zone, and proceeded to attack security forces with rocks. Soldiers were forced to use tear gas and stun grenades to break up the demonstration.

 Also on Sunday, border police arrested an Arab who tried to knife an officer in the Shuafat neighborhood of Jerusalem. The Arab pulled out a knife while being checked at a roadblock. The officer, who was uninjured, fired in the air, chased the Arab, and arrested him.

 Border police Sunday afternoon also arrested nine Arabs from Gaza who attempted to infiltrate into the Negev from the Egyptian border, near Kadesh Barnea. About 30 Arabs were arrested last month for trying to infiltrate into Israel.

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6. Anti-Disengagement Activists Shot With Air Rifle

An attacker armed with an air rifle injured two youths who were distributing orange strips in Carmiel as part of protest activities against the government's Disengagement Plan.

The youths, lightly injured by the airgun pellets, were transported to local medical facilities for treatment.

 Eyewitness to the attack, the coordinator of the protest activities in the northern city of Carmiel told Arutz-7 that the shots were fired from a window overlooking the Lev Carmiel mall, where the youths were distributing the orange strips to drivers and pedestrians on Friday.

 "We were lucky that he missed," the coordinator, identified as Yaniv, said. "One [youth] was hit in the hand and the second felt sharp pains in his chest. We called the police and they entered the house and confiscated the air rifle. They asked us to file a formal complaint so that they could prosecute the matter."

 Head of the Likud branch in Carmiel and coordinator of the joint committee against the Disengagement Plan, Rami Aloush, said that "red lines have been crossed" in the shooting. Aloush further said that he sees a direct connection between the attack and the de-legitimization underway in recent weeks against opponents of the Disengagement Plan. "The shots could easily have blinded someone," Aloush warned, "and if they had been fired from closer, they could have killed."

 The Judea, Samaria and Gaza Council released a statement saying that the "violent and serious" air rifle shooting in Carmiel was "a continuation to the stream of incitement of recent days, and the result of suggestions for violent action given in statements allowing the blood of those who identify with the color orange (such as in an article on the Walla web site, statements by journalists Yaron London and Buki Naeh, among others). The silence of the legal system and the failure of the law enforcement agencies in the face of such a campaign of incitement allowed such a serious event to occur; an incident that could have cost someone his life."

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7. Supreme Court Judge Jails Six 13 Year-Olds From Gush Katif

Boys allegedly occupy an Arab house on the beach in Gush Katif. Justice Procaccia calls it a "mass, violent incident." A local Arab invites Jews into his home, saying he supports their struggle.

Six 13 year-old Jewish boys who were arrested last week in Gush Katif will be held in jail at least until this Wednesday, under an order handed down by Supreme Court Justice Ayala Procaccia.

 The children are accused of occupying an Arab house near the Maoz Hayam hotel near on the Gush Katif beach. They were arrested for questioning and have yet to be formerly charged with any crime.

 Despite the fact that under Israeli law, the children, like other suspects who have not been convicted beyond a reasonable doubt, are presumed innocent, Justice Procaccia sounded convinced in her ruling that the children had been involved in wrongdoing.

 “This was a mass, violent incident involving a group of Jews seizing a building owned by Palestinians, throwing rocks at Palestinians and injuring at least one of them, and a refusal to adhere to the orders of security forces," Procaccia wrote.

 The justice’s attitude stands in sharp contrast to the opinions of some of the Arabs living in close proximity to the Jewish residents of Gush Katif, many of whom support the Jews’ struggle to stay in their homes.

 One Arab, the brother of the man whose house was allegedly occupied by the youngsters, would probably be shocked by the language of the justice’s ruling. He invited some Jewish residents into his home this morning to tell them his side of the story, which according to the version reported in the media, had the youngsters lynching an Arab and almost beating him to death.

 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon used the media reports in order to publically berate opponents of the expulsion plan. He call the incident a “wild barabaric, and heartless act.” "What is happening in front of our eyes,” he said, “is not a battle over disengagement from Gaza, but a battle over the image of the state. This is not a situation I will allow to continue."

 The Arab man said that the Arab youth who was allegedly lynched was injured only lightly and has since returned home. The man told his Israeli guests that he was not opposed to having Jewish youth occupy the house near the Gush Katif beach as an act of protest against the expulsion plan, because he himself was opposed to the plan.

 The man did, however, express his displeasure over a slogan he says was scrawled on the wall of the house that read, “Mohammed is a pig.” Aside from that, he said, no other damage had been done to the property.

 He also said that reports in the media of the IDF carrying out work on the structure to repair damage deliberately done by Jews were untrue. He said the only thing the army did was to seal off the entrance and stairwell in order to prevent youngsters from re-entering the house.

 The Arab who invited the Gush Katif residents into his house by the beach, doesn’t seem to have much trouble with the Jewish youngsters living near his home.

 That doesn’t seem to the the case with Justice Procaccia. The Justice, however, may be more interested in punishing the children’s parents than the youngsters she remanded, though she hopes the boys are thoroughly interrogated by police.

 “The presence of children in detention for means of interrogation is a high price that they and their families are paying for the willingness of the initiators of the disturbances to use youths,” wrote the Justice. “The youths' parents have a heavy responsibility to rush their children from the heart of danger and place them outside the ideological struggle that they are leading, which is a matter for adults.”

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8. Pollard Activists Protest on Fourth of July

In honor of the Fourth of July, American Independence Day, activists seeking the release of Jonathan Pollard from a US prison are demonstrating against American hypocrisy in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

A large protest is scheduled to take place Monday evening opposite the American embassy in Tel Aviv. The protesters decry “American hypocrisy” in demanding Israel release terrorists from prison while itself violating the very principles of equality and justice that it claims to stand for by continuing to punish Pollard so disproportionately.

 Jerusalemites awoke Monday morning to the creative decoration of two iconoclastic American symbols in Jerusalem to call attention to the activists’ point. The artistic rendition of the Statue of Liberty located in New York Square (at the intersection of Agrippas Street and Ben Tzvi Boulevard) was bedecked in a skirt of Pollard photos and slogans while a large picture of the former Naval Intelligence officer was attached to the front of the book Lady Liberty holds. The liberty bell in Jerusalem’s Gan HaPa’amon (Bell Park) was also adorned with photos of Pollard.

 “On the day the US celebrates her liberty it is important to remind her that there is no real liberty and equality so long as a Jewish agent who helped Israel is kept in prison but every other American who did the same thing received a much lighter sentence,” Pollard activist Adi Ginsburg told Arutz-7.

 “Americans must realize that after 20 years they must begin to do everything they can to stop the injustice,” Ginsburg added. “The Jewish establishment in the US especially must stop trying to be more Catholic than the Pope, and begin to fight for Pollard’s freedom.”