Sunday evening, a group of Israeli civilians waiting at a bus stop next to the town of Ofra in Samaria were shot at – the victims of another act of terror against Israel. Shira Ish-Ran (Shira Yael bat Liora Sara), a 30 year old pregnant woman was critically injured and though doctors successfully delivered her baby (Rach HaNolad ben Shira Yael) prematurely, the baby has taken a turn for the worse. Shira’s husband, Amichai (Amichai Yishai ben Galila), is in good condition and recovering from bullet wounds to the leg. Pictured above are Shira’s parents. Her father Chaim has been with AFSI on many of our tours in and around Jerusalem.
Hamas calls the shooters “heroic.” This is the same Hamas that the United Nations failed to condemn last week.
“We must put our own price on terror.” Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked urged PM Netanyahu to normalize the status of Ofra in Samaria, following the attack there last night.
Ambassador David Friedman wrote on Twitter, “The #US stands with #Israel against terrorists even if others won’t.”
Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trump’s special representative for international negotiations blasted the UN vote, “Hamas praises yet another terror attack. You had the ability to help fight against terror. Is this what the UN wants its legacy to be?”
The United States drafted a resolution condemning Hamas at the United Nations and was voted on last week but failed to condemn Hamas’s terrorism against Israel.
“Is the hatred of Israel so strong that you will defend a terrorist organization, one that is harming the Palestinian people? Isn’t it time to let that go? For the sake of peace and the sake of this institution I respectfully urge my colleagues to this resolution,” UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said.
Reality tells us that this should have been a no-brainer to vote YES – condemn Hamas. There were 87 countries who supported the resolution with 33 abstained. Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon is taking last Thursday’s vote in a positive light stating that though the resolution failed to pass, the fact that the UN discussed the terror group was a victory. “We focused on condemning a terrorist organization – and this is a subject that is troubling the entire world.”
Despite Danon’s comment, this is another shameful act that occurred at the United Nations, a place where hypocrisy reigns. A place that no longer fulfills its charter of maintaining worldwide peace and security. Until there is full condemnation at the United Nations there can be little progress in the fight against terrorism.