SWI NEWS: Tue, Mar 20, 2012 26 Adar, 5772
France mourns teacher and three children murdered at Toulouse Jewish school DEBKAfile Special Report March 19, 2012, 11:33 PM (GMT+02:00)
Tags: 
Ozar Hatorah school, Toulouse
Toulouse police with reinforcements are hunting the motorcyclist gunman who attacked the Jewish Ozar Hatorah school Monday, March 19, and murdered a teacher, Yonathan Sandler, 30, his sons Arieh, 3 and Gavriel, 6 and the principal’s daughter, Miriam Monstango, aged 8. The killer dressed in black continued shooting 9mm and 11.43mm pistols at children inside the school yard before escaping. Several children were injured. A 17-year old boy is in critical condition. Straight after the attack, President Nicolas Sarkozy flew to the school with Interior Minister Claude Gueant, who is leading the investigation. He ordered extra security to be laid on at all Jewish institutions in France and all French schools observe a minute’s silence in mourning Tuesday. Sarkozy said later he had no doubt that the attacks were motivated by anti-Semitism. The Toulouse Jewish community held a memorial service Monday night. The victims’ families have asked to have them buried in Israel. The local police are investigating links with a recent attack by a black-garbed motorcyclist answering to the same description who shot dead three French parachutists and wounded a fourth at the nearby town of Montauban before escaping. They had all served in AfghanistanMontag, 19. März 2012 | Ryan Jones
An unidentified gunman opened fire at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France on Monday killing four people, three of them children, and prompting renewed calls from Israeli lawmakers for the Jews of France to move to Israel en masse.
The victims of the attack at the Ozar Hatorah school were later identifed as Yonathan Sandler, a teacher from Jerusalem; Sandlers two children, 6-year-old Aryeh and 3-year-old Gavriel; and the 8-year-old daughter of the school's principal. Several more people were wounded in the attack.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement deploring the "loathsome murder of Jews" and expressing confidence that French President Nicolas Sarkozy "will do everything possible to find the killer, and we will help with that."
Several Israeli lawmakers insisted more drastic action is called for.
"The attack on a Jewish school sets off a red light for all the People of Israel," said Likud Knesset Member Danny Danon in remarks to Israel National News. Danon said he intends to call an emergency Knesset session over the French school shooting and the general increase in global anti-Semitism.
MK Yaakov Katz of the National Union Party wasn't waiting for that Knesset session, and issued an immediate call for the Jews of France to immigrate to Israel.
"There is no Jewish future in France," insisted Katz.
French Ambassador to Israel, Christophe Bigot agreed that the shooting was a "barbaric act" and a "crime against humanity," but told the Times of Israel that Katz's call for mass emigration was "misplaced."
Despite Bigot's assurance that "France offers the very best protection," Israel's Ynet news portal reported that Frence Jewish communities are fearful that Monday's school shooting could be the start of a violent new wave of anti-Semitism.
"We are worried that another wave of terror is upon us," the head of the French branch of Bnai Akiva, Binyamin Tuati, told Ynet.
"Attacks on Jews have been taking place for centures, and it was only a matter of time before the situation got worse," added Dr. David Shapiro, an expert on anti-Semitism in France.
By YAAKOV KATZ
03/19/2012 14:12
By REUTERS
Iran and terror groups are trying to deter Israel from taking action against them by carrying out these attacks overseas, according to Nuriel, who stepped down from his post several months ago. He said it was possible that the attack against the school in France was not terror-related, but he did draw a direct line between the recent spate of bombings plots in India, Georgia, Thailand and Azerbaijan. Nuriel urged Israelis who travel overseas to take extra precautions and to be more vigilant in the face of the terror threat. “It makes no difference for the terrorist if the target is a representative of the Jewish Agency, an Israeli tourist or a local Jew,” he stated. When choosing accommodations abroad, Nuriel said that Israelis should not make the decision based solely on the quality of the hotel or hostel, but rather they should also take into consideration whether there is security at the building. Secondly, he said Israelis should not post pictures of their trips on Facebook and other social media websites, since photographs could then be used by terrorists to track them, as well as to identify targets frequented by large numbers of Israelis.
Ashton Compares Toulouse Attack to Death of Gaza Children
EU Foreign Policy Chief says the attack on Jewish children in Toulouse is reminiscent of the death of children in Gaza.
By Elad Benari
First Publish: 3/20/2012, 1:14 AM
Catherine Ashton
Reuters
The European Union’s Foreign Policy Chief, Catherine Ashton, made an odd comparison on Monday between the lethal shooting attack at a Jewish school in Toulouse, in which three children and a teacher were murdered, and the deaths of children in Gaza. “When we think about what happened today in Toulouse, we also remember what happened in Norway last year, and what is happening now in Syria and Gaza, and other areas of the world,” the Ma’ariv newspaper quoted Ashton as having said. “We see before our eyes all the children who lost their lives,” Ashton added, during a meeting with Palestinian Authority Arab youth in Brussels. “I want to pay tribute today to all those young people,” she added, noting especially the PA children who, according to Ashton, “against all odds, continue to study, work, dream and aspire for a better future.” Ashton did not distinguish between a deliberate terror attack against Jewish children and children in Gaza who are accidentally killed in IAF air strikes, due to the fact that Gaza terrorists deliberately fire rockets from populated areas and use civilians as human shields. French police are investigating whether a neo-Nazi gang was involved in Monday's shooting attack on the school in Toulouse. The same two handguns used in the slaughter had also been used a week earlier in two similar shooting attacks on French paratroopers. Three were Muslim and all appeared to be either Middle Eastern or Black. According to a report published in the French magazine Le Monde, police are now investigating whether a neo-Nazi gang was behind the murders. The magazine reported Monday that police have confirmed they are searching for three ex-paratroopers from Montauban who were dishonorably discharged from the army last year after being photographed in a Nazi salute in front of a Nazi flag, and wearing swastika tattoos.Obama's Muslim Adviser: Assad Too Soft on Israel
A Muslim adviser to the Obama White House tweeted last week that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad can't deliver 'resistance to Israel.'
By Chana Ya'ar
First Publish: 3/18/2012, 4:51 PM
Muhammad Ali Mosque, Cairo
Flash 90
A Muslim adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama warned in a post on the Twitter social networking site last week that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad can't deliver 'resistance to Israel.' The adviser, Egyptian-born Dalia Mohaded, is employed in the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, at the White House. The tweet, posted on March 10 and picked up by the media watchdog Jihadwatch, read as follows: "To those siding w/Assad: he cannot deliver stability, protection of minorities, or resistance to Israel. He is a killer w/o legitimacy.” The tweet has sparked numerous responses in media, on the Internet and on Twitter reflecting concerns that Mohaded appeared to be more concerned about the Syrian president's inability to carry out "resistance to Israel" -- which is a key U.S. ally -- than his compassion for his own people, and his murderous rampages against them. More than 8,000 Syrians have died at the hands of government forces since the Arab Spring uprising a year ago sparked brutal retaliation by Assad loyalists against civilian protesters, including torture, rape and other atrocities. Many of the victims were women and children. Turkey has reported at least 14,000 refugees from Syria have crossed the border near Idlib into its territory; the United Nations estimates that more than 200,000 people have been left homeless by the burgeoning civil war in which Assad's troops have fired heavy artillery at city neighborhoods in order to suppress the uprising. The issue of Mogahed's questionable priorities has also been raised by the Family Security Matters (FSM) organization, who noted that Mogahed serves on the U.S. Homeland Security Council, and is an executive at the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies and its polling center. "Mogahed has been a tenacious defender of groups like the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), both of which are tied to the Muslim Brotherhood,” points out FSM in a post on the organization's website. CAIR was one of some 300 unindicted co-conspirators in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation conviction in which the organization was shut down for illegally channeling funds to the Hamas terrorist rulers of Gaza. The organization insists that it is a civil rights group focused on promoting understanding of Islam and dedicated to fighting discriminating against Muslim Americans.Barak Warns Iran Nuclear Program Soon to be Strike-Proof
Iran's nuclear program will soon be strike-proof, according to Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
By Chana Ya'ar
First Publish: 3/19/2012, 5:55 PM
Ehud Barak
Flash 90
Iran's nuclear proram will soon be strike-proof, according to Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Speaking on Monday to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Barak said the window of opportunity for a military strike is rapidly closing. The Islamic Republic, he told the committee, is rushing to move its nuclear development facilities underground, and beyond the reach of any attack. "The world, including the current U.S. administration, understands and accepts that Israel necessarily views the threat differently than they do,” Barak pointed out. “Ultimately Israel is responsible for taking the decisions related to its future, its security and its destiny.” Iran's nuclear program is “steadily approaching maturation and verging on a 'zone of immunity,' - a position from which the Iranian regime could complete its program without effective disruption, at its convenience,” he added in a statement released by his office to reporters. Israel's government leaders have been working in concert in recent weeks to accustom the population – and the rest of the world – to the idea that if necessary, due to the short time left before the sites are underground, the Jewish State is ready “go it alone” to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat. The US has bunker busters that could reach deep underground sites, but Israel's are more limited. Last week, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reminded the world in one of his fiercest speeches to the Knesset in some time, that Israel has "never left its fate to others, not even in the hands of its best friends."03/19/2012 04:22
By HMO
After residing 61 years in a physical setting that increasingly became cramped, outdated and sometimes even unpleasant, the Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem is taking its first steps on Monday into a new era of comfort and advancement that translate into better healthcare. The new 19-story Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower – costing $363 million – is so different from what Jerusalem patients are used to that they may even look forward to being hospitalized and dream about staying longer as if it were a five-star hotel. But besides the obvious esthetics and comfort, the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO) and its benefactors, the Hadassah Women’s Zionist Organization of America (HWZOA), have ensured that its level of medical treatment, research and teaching will match them. The first patients will be rolled onto the fifth floor and into the urology department on Monday morning, launching a process that began 100 years ago, when Henrietta Szold founded the women’s organization in the US. The following week, the orthopedics department will be transferred, with the first of the 13 surgical theaters to open after Passover. More will be added in the fall, when a massive Hadassah convention meets in Jerusalem to celebrate and through the early part of 2013, when the transfer will be completed. The old hospitalization facility, built in the 1950s and opened in 1961 with orange bricks and even USstyle electrical outlets shipped over, will serve outpatients, research and other needs, but its exact future has not yet been determined. The corridors in the new facility were intentionally made too narrow to accommodate hospital beds, said Dr. Yuval Weiss, the hospital’s director, who planned the project with longtime HMO director-general Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, who has just been named director-general of the powerful National Insurance Institute. Mor-Yosef’s name is among those etched on the cornerstone, having been part of the plans for the past decade. Weiss said it was shameful for any patient to lie in corridors to be treated and to sleep. Taking up the reins is Prof. Ehud Kokia, also an obstetrician/ gynecologist by profession, who left his post as head of Maccabi Health Services four months ago to lead the HMO. For the first time in the history of the state, the public hospital owned and built by a voluntary organization received a government grant, as senior Hadassah officials argued that the government received a “$363m. gift” for healthcare in Jerusalem and should contribute. Thenfinance minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his successors agreed to give NIS 169m. as a contribution to the project when it is completed. New HWZOA president Marcie Natan said that it already has more than $300m. in contributions for construction and equipment wrapped up, and this does not include the Treasury grant. It will not be the best in every single medical sphere in Israel, because the country has developed, Natan said, but it will be the best in many fields. Among the luxury features are: A limit of two beds per hospital room, with two-thirds having two and a third having one; the single rooms will not cost inpatients any extra money. A large digital TV screen, with free broadcasts and Internet, which will serve for ordering one’s meals within certain times; food is transported by “rail” to each department after being cooked, cooled down and then heated up rapidly for freshness. The Jerusalem Light Rail will reach the hospitalization tower’s doorstep in three years, greatly increasing its accessibility and reducing the need to drive and pay for parking lots. Intensive care units will have four beds each and round-the-clock nurses’ supervision. Every floor will have a family room with a breathtaking view of the Jerusalem hills, while certain floors will have trees, gardens and flowing water and a balcony. No smoking will be allowed in the entire facility. Despite the meticulous planning, The Jerusalem Post pointed out during the press tour on Sunday the almost complete absence of signs in Arabic, despite the Hebrew and English, which were everywhere. Arabic was nowhere to be seen in the urology and orthopedic departments on the lovely brushed-metal, etched signs that adorned the outside of each room, and only in the downstairs lobby were there translations into Arabic listing “Business Center,” “Sick Funds” (sic Health Funds) and at some other locations. As Health Ministry director-general Prof. Ronni Gamzu issued system-wide instructions that to promote “cultural competency” all signs should be translated into the languages of the people served and if at all possible into Hebrew and Arabic (the two official state languages), the Post asked why this hadn’t been carried out. Natan said “today was the first time I noticed.” Weiss said, “it was planned years ago for esthetic reasons.” Kokia said: “I have been here for four months, but I am responsible for everything. I will look into it.” But upon asking Mor-Yosef, who was not present, the Post was told: “It was a decision intentionally taken that all three languages would be used in the general facilities but at the department level, it would be only in Hebrew and English. Maybe it was a mistake,” said the former HMO director-general. “You raise an important issue. Gamzu’s regulation was issued later. The fifth story is the pilot floor, and we’ll learn from our experience and make any necessary changes. In any case, only the fifth-floor signs are up, so the rest can be done in three languages.” A full Health and Science Page feature on the Hadassah hospitalization tower will appear on Sunday, March 25.
