According to the official news agency of the PA, WAFA, Palestinian newspapers and other media over the weekend ignored most of the al-Qaeda induced mayhem, tearful poverty stories, victim worship items and run of the mill Jew hatred stories, in favor of one big story: Israel is building the Third Temple, or at least a big synagogue.

All three Palestinian papers reported on this plan, according to WAFA, with “al-Quds” saying the Israeli deputy minister of religious affairs supports this plan and is working on getting approval for it.

Poor Rabbi Eli ben-Dahan – they attack him in Shas, they attack him in the PA, he can’t catch a break.

The same papers also reported on an interview Chairman Abbas gave to Palestine TV on Thursday evening, in which he said he would not give up on the 1967 lines as the borders of the future Palestinian state, which will have Jerusalem as its capital.

Our frequent contributor, Elder of Zion, reported back in August: “There have been a bunch of articles … throughout the Arab world claiming that there has been some sort of official approval to build a small synagogue on the Temple Mount, mostly because of this illustration (see above) that is on some Israeli sites showing what one might look like.”

If you’ve been wondering why some clean cut, well mannered frequent visitors to the Temple Mount, like Yehuda Glick, have been banned indefinitely by police – Arab hysteria might provide a reliable answer.

So then, according to the other guys, the Islamist-affiliated Ahlul Bayt News Agency, the Hamas Movement has also issued a warning to the “Israeli occupation regime and its extremist Jewish groups” (do you get the feeling Ha’aretz’ Ezra Pound scholar in residence Gideon Levi is writing their press releases?) of building a synagogue on the land of the Aqsa Mosque and affirmed that there would be dire consequences for such violation.

“We, in Hamas, warn the occupation and its extremists of executing such grave plan or touching any part of the Aqsa Mosque,” Hamas said on Saturday.

“Attacking the Aqsa Mosque and attempting to divide it temporally and spatially are a major crime and a red line that our people cannot allow to be crossed,” it explained.

Hamas also expressed its belief that all the occupation’s plans to Judaize the Aqsa Mosque are only desperate attempts and will never succeed in imposing a fait accompli.

Of course, a proper Jewish government response (and all its extremists) would be to rebuild the synagogue that had been constructed by the late Israeli chief rabbi, Rav Shlomo Goren in the area of the compound which is permissible for Jews to access. If the Arabs respond with violence, Israel police should arrest the violent ones, as they do so skillfully when a Jew dares spend a night with his family in, say, Yitzhar.

And should our enlightened allies in the west protest, all we have to do is produce the U.S. State Department International Religious Freedom Report for 2012, which states for all the world to see:

The Jordanian-controlled Jerusalem Islamic Waqf that manages the site generally restricts non-Muslims from entering the Dome of the Rock shrine and Al-Aqsa Mosque, a practice it started in the year 2000. The Waqf does not allow non-Muslim religious symbols to be worn on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif.

On October 3, (2012) a Jerusalem magistrates’ court judge noted that “the explanation that Muslims do not approve of Jews’ praying on the Temple Mount cannot, in and of itself, prevent Jews from fulfilling their religious obligations and praying on the Temple Mount.” However, the judge noted he was not providing an instruction to the police. While arrests are subject to judicial oversight, the government, not the courts, has the authority to decide matters relating to religious rights in holy places, and the Supreme Court has upheld that governmental authority.

Israeli police controlled access to and the security of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif compound with police stationed both inside the compound and outside each entrance to the site. Entrance to the Temple Mount was legally permitted regardless of one’s religious beliefs, although access was often restricted. Police cited security concerns when restricting young Muslim men from entering the site. Police often removed from the site Jewish individuals who appeared to be praying, in accordance with a government policy dating back to 1967. Some Jewish groups were prevented from entering the Temple Mount without a police escort due to security concerns, and there were reports that the police escorts at times did not detain these groups when they prayed. The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, part of the Jordanian Ministry of Waqf, exercised administrative control over the site and prohibited from the site non-Muslim symbols, the Bible and other religious literature, and clothing deemed immodest by Muslim standards, as well as non-Muslim entrance into the Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Al-Marwani Mosque, and the Islamic Museum.

In other words, building a synagogue on Temple Mount is practically urged by the State Dept. And since the Arabs are all worked up about it even when there are no such government plans—and if there are, they didn’t tell me—why not go ahead and build one?

The Jerusalem District Court handed down its decision on Thursday in The State of Israel, Israel Police vs. Lesley Sachs, Bonnie Riva Ras, Sylvie Rozenbaum, Rabbi Valerie Stessin, and Sharona Kramer, the five women who were arrested on April 11, 2013 while praying at the Western Wall.

Judge Moshe Sobell decided against the police appeal, confirming the Magistrate Court decision by Judge Sharon Larry-Bavly, which stated that there was no cause for arrest and that the women did not disturb the public order. The women were released with no conditions and police request for a restraining order against their entering the Kotel site was rejected.

Judge Sobell also declared that the Supreme Court decision of 2003 was never intended to serve as an injunction that would make the women’s prayers while clad in tallitot a criminal violation. The judge added that there is no reasonable suspicion that the women are violating the Supreme Court decision. As to the High Court recommendation that the women pray in the Robinson’s Arch, Sobell declared that this does not necessarily mean that the women are prohibited from praying at the Western Wall’s women’s section.

The judge also declared that the women are not violating the restriction in the law governing sacred sites, which says that visitors at the Western Wall are to pray and hold religious celebrations according to the “local custom.” In the judge’s view, the “local custom” should to be interpreted with national and pluralistic implications, and not necessarily the Orthodox Jewish customs of the city of Jerusalem.

As to the charge of endangering or disturbing the public peace, the Judge ruled that even if the women had behaved in a way that disturbed the public order, they never posed a danger to the public peace. The women were in no way suspect of violent or verbally unruly behaviors that would endanger the public.

Judge Sobell ruled that there are to be no limitations imposed on the accused women.

Anat Hoffman, Chairperson of Women of the Wal, said, “Today Women of the Wall Liberated the Western Wall for all Jewish People. We did it for the eight year old girl who can now dream of having her Bat Mitzvah at the Wall, and for the grandmother who cannot climb on a chair in order to see her son’s Bar Mitzvah. We did it for the great diversity of Jews in the world, all of whom deserve to pray according to their belief and custom at the Western Wall.”

It is not yet known whether the police is considering appealing today’s ruling at the Supreme Court.

The Israel Security Agency (ISA or Shin Bet), in coordinated efforts with the IDF and Israel Police, arrested a large terror network over the course of January and February of this year. The network was based in Beit Fajjar near Bethlehem. The network’s operatives, members of Fatah-Tanzim, carried out a large number of shooting and firebomb attacks using improvised weapons against the Israeli town of Migdal Oz. None of the attacks resulted in casualties.

Following investigations, the members of the network confessed to having carried out the attacks as well as having planned more shooting attacks in the Gush Etzion region. Their arrests prevented the operatives from executing their plans. The investigations led to the confiscation of six improvised weapons and a dummy explosive device.

Among the leaders of the network arrested by security forces are: Rafat Mohammad Isa Takatka (32), Rafat Mahmoud Musa Hian (31), Anas Halami Taleb Takatka (24), Sachiv Abed Eljamil Hassan Takatka (24) and Ahmad Anwar Mohammad Takatka (27).

Indictments were brought against the terrorists in the military court in Judea for severe security violations including: shooting at a person, membership of an illegal organization, manufacturing weapons and possession of explosive objects.

There has been a significant increase in terror activity in and around Beit Fajjar, and therefore more than 50 operatives from the village have been brought in for questioning in order to prevent further acts of terror.

General closure is being imposed Monday night at midnight on Judea and Samaria, to last through the first two days of the Passover holiday. The closure was a decision made by the new Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. No traffic will be permitted except for humanitarian and other special cases.

On Sunday, one day ahead of the closure, a joint operation of the IDF, the ISA (Israel Security Agency or Shin Bet) and the Israel Police apprehended five Arabs who played a role in the rock-hurling incident near the Israeli city of Ariel on March 14, the IDF Spokesperson’s office reported.

The Arabs responsible for the attack hurled rocks at Israeli civilian vehicles traveling on a main road near Kifl Haris, striking several vehicles. As a result, a resident of the community of Yakir, who was traveling with three of her daughters, lost control of her vehicle and hit a truck. The driver and two of her daughters were moderately injured, and a third was critically injured and remains hospitalized.

Security forces took immediate action in order to identify those responsible for the attack. During the investigation, five residents of Kifl Haris confessed to their involvement in the attack. The investigation is still ongoing.

The past few months saw an increase in similar acts of terrorism by rock hurling. The serious results of Kifl Haris incident convey how lethal this type of “mischievous” act can be.

JERUSALEM – A new phase in the covert war between Israel and Iran’s proxy Hizbullah militia is taking place within the borders of the Jewish state, as Hizbullah has recruited scores of Palestinians and Israeli Arabs for missions ranging from arson to suicide bombings.

Israel Police and Fire Department officials acknowledged to the Israel Hayom newspaper that a series of serious forest fires at the entrance to Jerusalem and the Carmel/metro Haifa region during the past few weeks had been set by small teams of arsonists intent on destroying the country’s nature reserves and stretching the resources of Israel’s firefighting capabilities.

“I’m convinced that several of the fires that have broken out in our area are the result of nationalistic motives,” said the commander of the Haifa Fire Department.

Last week, Israel Police and Shin Bet agents exposed a burgeoning Israeli Arab terror network operating in Nazareth and Ghajar (a village along the Israel-Lebanon border) responsible for smuggling both drugs and sophisticated bomb devices from Lebanon into Israel at the behest of Hizbullah agents.

“These aren’t the small devices we’ve seen in the past to blow up buses,” said an Israel Police official. “These bombs have enough power to actually bring down a whole building.”

While law enforcement authorities were successful in discovering the terrorist smuggling ring, they’ve been unsuccessful in finding out where and to whom the bombs were to be delivered.

Police intelligence sources believe a number of Hizbullah “sleeper” suicide bombers will launch attacks on Israel’s civilian population in the event of an Israeli military strike on Iranian nuclear sites or Hizbullah missile bases.

Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah has boasted that his forces would capture an Israeli village as part of an overall plan to “liberate the Galilee.” Israeli security officials believe Hizbullah may be able to invade and temporarily hold a community along the Lebanese-Israeli border with the assistance of enemy agents operating inside Israel’s borders.

Despite several Israel Police announcements last week that the Temple Mount would be open to Jewish visitors on Tisha B’Av, hundreds of Jews were deeply disappointed this morning to discover that the police have reneged on their promise.

Yosef Rabin, who was at the blocked entrance, told the Jewish Press that the disappointment felt by everyone was “unbearable.”

“We discovered that once again we were deceived by the police,” Rabin said.

Yehuda Glick, spokesman for the joint staff of Temple organizations, pointed out that “among the hundreds of Jews who have assembled this morning there is a sense of grave disappointment. Despite all the attempts made by the Temple Mount activists to coordinate our activities with the police, time after time we are slapped in the face.”

A spokesman for the Jerusalem Police told the Jewish Press that entrance to Temple mount was barred for all visitors, Jews and non-Jews alike. According to the spokesman, Police have received intelligence regarding a planned attempt by Jewish activists to pray on Temple Mount, which would have been a violation of the status quo. The spokesman cited right wing Jewish websites which incited their followers to conduct prayer on the mount.

Israeli shop owners have been resorting to You Tube in their efforts to help police apprehend thieves who brazenly walk away with thousands of shekels worth of merchandize. All of Israel’s high end shops have been training security cameras on their aisles, and those cameras have indeed been capturing very disturbing images of men and women who, apparently, have developed great techniques for shoplifting.

Except that, once they have the incriminating evidence on tape, no one knows who the perpetrators are. Anonymous and amazingly sneaky, those criminals—who sometimes rake in thousands of shekels in goods from a single hit—continue to prey on unsuspecting, small businesses.

Here are a few videos we shoplifted from You Tube – if you recognize anyone, please notify Israel’s Police at any of these local precincts.

Two young women stealing thousands of shekels’ worth in expensive perfumes. Their casual manner and the way they coordinate and time their actions suggests they’ve been doing this for some time.

Watch this thief at a jewelry store taking his time reviewing the goods. At about minute 1:40, he has decided on the item he wants, and starts removing obstacles to facilitate a smooth grab, from the display table to his knapsack.

At a phone store, watch at 0:53 minutes, when the thieves knows he is not being noticed by any of the other three people there, and grabs the phone off a desk.

Finally, the damage in this case is probably smaller than in other stores, but, still, just watch the shameless way in which these guys just empty out a refrigerator and walk away with soda bottles.

The IDF and Israel Police uncovered a powerful explosive device overnight while on an anti-smuggling operation.

According to the IDF Spokesperson, “Israeli forces that were trying to stop smugglers saw a man throw a suspicious bag and flee the scene. After an examination…it was determined that the bag contained a powerful explosive device. The device was later detonated in a controlled manner.”

The Spokesperson also said that the incident is “a reminder that the smuggling routes on the Israel-Egypt border are constantly used by terrorist organizations to conduct operations against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.”

In 2011, over 15,000 illegal immigrants crossed Israel’s porous border with Egypt.