Oslo, Norway: 69 percent increase in rapes (76 rapes in 91 days). Share of non-Westerners among 'attack-rapists': 100 percent.

Jihad Watch has been reporting about the problem several times: "Western Muslims' Racist Rape Spree"; "Islamic cleric misunderstands Islam, issues fatwa permitting jihadis to kidnap, imprison, and rape infidel women"; "Stavanger, Norway: Nine out of ten rapists are 'men from minority groups'," etc.

The jihad on "uncovered meat" has just begun. Norway distinguishes two kinds of rapes: rape and attack-rape. In rapes, the rapist and the victim know each other beforehand, while an attack-rape is when the two do not know each other before the rape. In Oslo, 100 percent of the attack-rapes are committed by non-Western immigrants with a "view of women" that makes them rape, according to the leading police officer, Hanne Kristin Rohde.

With 76 rapes during the first 91 days of 2012, the number of rapes in Oslo has increased by an alarming 69 percent compared to the same period last year. Translated from Norwegian by Nicolai Sennels, Aftenposten April 16: "Alarming rise in reported rapes in Oslo":

 Last year, the number of reported rapes in the Norwegian capital rose by 30 percent. 2012 has only gotten worse.
- Overall, in the first quarter, there is an increase of 69 percent in reported rapes and attempted rapes. There are 27 more cases than in the same period last year.
Police Inspector Hanne Kristin Rohde does not like the stats she has extracted on sexual crimes in the Oslo police district.
- Very ugly numbers, she concludes.
- Is this a real increase, or are there others who choose to report rape?
- We do not know. But there has been a lot of talking about rape in the public, so we think that the increase is a result of people's willingness to report rapes to the police.

During this year's first 91 days, Oslo police have received reports on 76 rape cases, compared to 45 during the same period last year. The so called attack-rapes were included.

Government Asks Supreme Court to Postpone Destruction

Maayana Miskin State attorneys appealed Friday to the Supreme Court, asking for a 90-day delay in the planned demolition of the Ulpana neighborhood in Beit El. The court ruled last year that residents of the neighborhood must be evicted by May 1. If the court grants the three-month extension, the government plans to use the extra time to find a legal solution that will allow the community to remain standing. The government’s appeal follows an appeal by residents of the neighborhood, who have turned to the Jerusalem District Court in an attempt to prove that they, and not Palestinian Authority Arab claimants, are the rightful owners of the land. They say the Supreme Court’s ruling was based on inaccurate information. Speaking to Kol Yisrael radio, Minister Benny Begin pointed out that if the District Court finds in favor of the Beit El residents, the cost of rebuilding demolished homes will be high. The government would be unwise to destroy homes at this point, he said. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is among those who has called to wait and clarify the matter before proceeding with demolition. At a Cabinet meeting this week, Barak said there are three matters that need clarification: the location of several caravan homes just outside the Beit El city limit, two incomplete buildings that may not be legal, and the legal status of five occupied buildings. The latter is the topic of the District Court case. For the first time, Barak openly stated that the Supreme Court’s original finding may not have been correct. “If it turns out that there was a purchase, and there are documents, that will of course open the door to new options,” he said. MK Zahava Gal-On, head of the Meretz party, cast doubt on the state’s chance to win time for the District Court hearing. The Supreme Court previously rejected a similar appeal regarding Migron, she said.

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Referred to Anti-Corruption Commission, Misused Diplomatic Passports

Challah Hu Akbar The other day I reported that the Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki was facing corruption allegations. At the time, I said that I was “skeptical.” I am far less skeptical now, as I have seen a few more reports recently, including this thorough one from PalToday. Palestinian parliamentary sources confirmed to PalToday that Riyad al-Malki has been referred to the Anti-Corruption Commission, following his refusal to appear before a parliamentary oversight committee on issues relating to corruption and failure in his ministry. Al-Maliki is the third government minister to be referred to the commission recently. In November 2011, PA Economy Minister Hassan Abu Libdeh was charged with corruption. In August 2011, Agriculture Minister Ismail Daiq was also charged with corruption. Fatah’s Majed Abu Shamala has revealed that the case against al-Maliki centers on the misuse of diplomatic passports, specifically the issuing of passports to those who do not deserve them. Al-Maliki will also face charges that Palestinian missions around the world have failed to properly aid Palestinians living in those countries. Additionally, there are charges related to financial misuse by the foreign ministry. Related to all this is the fact that Yousef al-Shayeb, one of the journalists detained by the Palestinian Authority in March, had written extensively on corruption within the PA foreign ministry, specifically naming al-Maliki. Following the detention of Shayeb, al-Maliki said that he was "surprised some journalists reacted emotionally on behalf of their colleague without hearing the other side's case, or considering for a moment if Yousef al-Shayeb is the oppressor or the oppressed.” Maliki charged that “Shayeb must be expelled from the their [the journalists] ranks.” In addition, he said that the truth will emerge and that if he is found guilty then Shayeb will be punished. It now appears that the truth will emerge, and it may be al-Maliki who will be receiving the punishment.

Human Rights of Christians in Palestinian Society

Justus Reid Weiner

On the heels of the Gaza disengagement, which was intended to empower the Palestinian Authority to improve the lives of its people, few journalists have reported on the acutely trying times facing the Christians residing in areas "governed" by the Palestinian Authority. In his book, Professor Weiner, Scholar in Residence at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, provides an in-depth look into the nearly uninterrupted persecution of Christians throughout the decade since the Oslo peace process began.

Living amidst a xenophobic Muslim population plagued by endemic violence bordering on anarchy, the Christians have shrunk to less than 1.7 percent of the population in the Palestinian areas. “Tens of thousands have abandoned their holy sites and ancestral properties to live abroad, while those who remain do so as a beleaguered and dwindling minority," Weiner said.

And here is the rest of it.

"Their plight is, in part, attributable to the adoption of Muslim religious law (Sharia) in the Constitution of the Palestinian Authority. Moreover, the Christians have been abandoned by their religious leaders who, instead of protecting them, have chosen to curry favor with the Palestinian leadership." Professor Weiner's book reveals and analyzes why this persecution - largely ignored by the international community, the media, and even the human rights organizations - has metastasized to the extent that it threatens the very existence of this 2000-year-old community.

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Professor Weiner earned his Juris Doctor degree at the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall) School of Law and is a member of the Israel and New York Bar Associations. Weiner previously taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Boston University Law School. Currently he teaches courses on international and comparative law at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His scholarship has appeared in leading law journals and intellectual magazines.

Palestinian Authority Radicalizing Palestinians, Dragging Them Toward War

Khaled Abu Toameh

If the Palestinian leaders do not want their citizens to seek medical aid in Israel, why don't they and their family members also boycott Israeli hospitals? Why do Palestinian leaders keep knocking on Israel's door for help in various fields?

On the same day that two Palestinian officials met in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the Palestinian Authority issued an order banning Palestinians from making direct contact with Israeli authorities in the West Bank.
The new order is yet another sign of how the Palestinian Authority is radicalizing Palestinians and eventually dragging them toward another confrontation with Israel.

The ban, which was issued by the Palestinian governor of Bethlehem, prohibits Palestinians from directly seeking the services of the Israeli District Coordination Committee [DCO].
Established under the terms of the Oslo Accords, the DCO's main mission is to provide various services to Palestinians, especially those who seek to enter Israel for medical treatment and work. Over the past two decades, tens of thousands of Palestinians have sought the services of the DCO also to facilitate travel arrangements and overcome bureaucratic hurdles.
But now the Palestinian Authority government has decided to put an end to this phenomenon. Palestinians have warned that anyone who violates the latest ban would be punished.
The ban will only increase bitterness and suffering among Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority is hoping that the anger on the Palestinian street will ultimately be directed against Israel.
The new order is the latest in a series of decisions that raise tensions between Israel and the Palestinians and go against the spirit of the peace process.
Last week, the Palestinian government issued another order banning Israeli -- not only settler -- agricultural products from some areas in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority has also banned meetings between Israelis and Palestinians that allegedly promote "normalization" between the two sides.
Moreover, Palestinians have been banned from working in settlements in the West Bank or selling goods manufactured in some of these settlements. But because the Palestinian government has not been able to come up with a plan to compensate tens of thousands of workers for the loss of their jobs in the settlements, many of them have chosen to simply ignore the ban, putting their lives at risk.
If anything, all these new measures reflect the Palestinian Authority's double standards in dealing with its own population.
How can the Palestinian government call for a boycott of Israel when its political and security representatives are holding formal and informal meetings with Israelis almost on a daily basis?
If the leaders of the Palestinian Authority do not want Palestinians to seek the services of the Israeli authorities, why don't they then return their Israeli-issued VIP cards that grant them privileges denied to most Palestinians?
If Palestinian leaders do not want their citizens to seek medical aid in Israel, why don't they and their family members also boycott Israeli hospitals? Why do senior Palestinian leaders keep knocking on Israel's door for help in various fields?
If the Palestinian government does not want Palestinians to work in the settlements, why hasn't it provided them with alternative jobs or financial compensation?

The speech Obama should give at the Holocaust Museum

RAFAEL MEDOFF

“One major mistake was our government’s hesitancy to acknowledge, loudly and clearly, that the Jews were being singled out for mass annihilation."

President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington on Monday. Here’s what I would like to hear him say: “Nineteen years ago this week, my predecessor, president Bill Clinton, stood on this very spot and recalled that even after the American government knew that the Holocaust was taking place, ‘doors to liberty were shut’ and ‘rail lines to the [death] camps within miles of militarily significant targets were left undisturbed.’ President Clinton was deeply troubled by our nation’s ‘complicity’ in the tragedy, and I am confident he would agree that we must learn from the mistakes that were made then.

"One major mistake was our government’s hesitancy to acknowledge, loudly and clearly, that the Jews were being singled out for mass annihilation. During my years in the United States Senate, I said the US should publicly recognize that Turkey perpetrated genocide against the Armenians. Presidents, of course, face a unique array of pressures and considerations, and during my first years in office, I chose to use the Armenian term ‘Meds Yeghem,’ rather than ‘genocide,’ out of sensitivity to Turkey’s objections. But failing to acknowledge genocide paves the way for future genocides. I cannot be a party to that. From now on, I will not hesitate to state clearly that what the Armenians suffered was genocide.
“Another major mistake during the Holocaust was our government’s reluctance to take even minimal steps to rescue Jewish refugees.

During the 2008 presidential campaign, I pledged that when it came to the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, America would not allow mass murder to take place on my watch. ‘There must be real pressure placed on the Sudanese government,’ I said.
“But as president, I have often preferred to heed the advice of my more cautious advisers on this subject.

Ideas such as imposing a no-fly zone over Sudan or forcefully challenging Sudan’s arms suppliers – Russia and China – were set aside in order to avoid unpleasant confrontations with Moscow and Beijing.
“We opted to refrain from trying to bring about the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for his role in the Darfur genocide. We held back from criticizing countries that hosted visits by Bashir, even when those countries were major recipients of US aid.

“Critics warned that if Bashir remained free, he would continue his murderous ways. We did not listen.

“We should have. Today, the people of the Nuba mountains are paying a steep price. In that region at the border between Sudan and South Sudan, Bashir’s forces are again victimizing innocent men, women, and children.


“So today, the gloves come off. Today, we say to the world: We want regime change in Sudan. We want Omar al-Bashir behind bars. Our special forces around the globe will be employed, if necessary, to bring him to justice. And those who remember how American commandos apprehended the Achille Lauro hijackers, or Manuel Noriega – not to mention how they dealt with Osama bin Laden – know we are serious when we say to the Butcher of Darfur: You can run, but you can’t hide.
“An American ally, Israel, is today threatened with genocide. Iran’s rulers have vowed to wipe Israel off the map, and they seem determined to build the weapons of mass destruction needed to achieve that goal. I have urged the Israelis to refrain from taking military action against Iranian nuclear facilities so long is there is a chance of stopping Iran’s nuclear development through pressure, sanctions, and negotiations. Israel is concerned about the sanctions process dragging on so long that it enables the Iranians to complete construction of atomic weapons. Israel’s concerns are valid.
“And so today, I want to make it clear to Tehran that the round of talks which is now under way will be the last round. These talks must succeed within 30 days, or we will conclude that Iran was never is not serious about a negotiated solution. And we and our allies will act accordingly.

“I want to conclude my remarks by announcing a symbolic step that I will be taking, today, to reaffirm America’s commitment to preventing genocide. Jonathan Pollard has been incarcerated for the past 27 years for providing Israel with classified data that, among other things, revealed attempts by certain extremist regimes to develop weapons with which to destroy Israel. I am in no way condoning Mr. Pollard’s actions when I acknowledge that he was motivated by a desire to prevent a second Holocaust. As a small symbol of my administration’s own commitment to preventing another genocidal assault on the Jewish people, I have today granted clemency to Mr. Pollard.


“Speaking out against genocide, interrupting mass murder, apprehending the perpetrators, preventing the development of weapons of genocide – these must be the hallmarks of American policy around the world in the 21st century.”

The writer is founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies and coauthor, with Prof. Sonja Schoepf Wentling, of the new book Herbert Hoover and the Jews: The Origins of the “Jewish Vote” and Bipartisan Support for Israel. This article originally appeared on www.theblaze.com.

Israel is "Satan with a tail," in poem recited by child on PA TV

Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik The Palestinian Authority TV children's program The Best Home featured a child reciting a poem promoting Pan-Arabism. The poem, by an Egyptian writer, included the following words: "Our enemy, Zion, is Satan with a tail." Click to view Palestinian Media Watch has documented that demonization of Israel and Jews is common in the PA and the structures under its control. Click to view

more examples of PA demonization of Israel. The following is part of the poem recited by the girl on PA TV, followed by the host's appreciation: Host: "Laila, what do you want to recite next?" Laila: "When I was young I was taught that Arabness is my honor... and that our lands extend from one end to the other, and that our wars were for the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and that our enemy, Zion, is Satan with a tail... Our division is by your hands [Arab rulers]. May your hands be cut off. We are fed up with our division, while all people are uniting.'" Host: "Bravo, bravo, bravo."

Reaction of the the Jewish Community of Hebron to the court decision concerning the building in Tel Rumeida

David Wilder The court decision concerning the house in Tel Rumeida explicitly states that the death sentence threatens all Arabs selling property to Jews in Hebron. The Israeli government does nothing to deal with this anti-Semitic law, and even cooperates with it. As a result, even though we paid for the house with our legal tender, we encountered many difficulties in proving the transaction, the first we had made in recent years. Simultaneously to receipt of the judgment, we recently revealed an indictment filed last year by the prosecutor’s office.. The indictment expressly states that the Jewish community in Hebron paid legal tender for the house in Tel Rumeida, and had no part in any fraud or forgery. We on our part, as a result of this acquisition, have since the reviewed and improved methods by which we examine purchase documents and deeds, as well as collecting and preserving evidence, methods utilized in later purchases. However, the government should put an end to side to this intolerable situation, whereby every purchase of a house by Jews in Hebron becomes an obstacle course. We will study the court’s decision and and the corresponding indictment, and will consider our options accordingly.

Jordan Is Palestinian

Ted Belman

A politically connected friend of mine approached me today to solicit my support in helping the author to organize a political party among the Palestinians in Jordan with a view to taking over when the opportunity arises. At this moment they are trying to raise the money that would allow them to get politically organized as a Democratic Party. Their intention is to be friends with Israel for their own defense and economic well being. They would be willing to take in all Palestinian refugees and even from Judea and Samaria. I suggested that they seek out American money already in the Budget to support democratic movements around the world. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Ted Belman by Mudar Zahran, Middle East Quarterly Winter 2012, pp. 3-12 (view PDF) Thus far the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has weathered the storm that has swept across the Middle East since the beginning of the year. But the relative calm in Amman is an illusion. The unspoken truth is that the Palestinians, the country’s largest ethnic group, have developed a profound hatred of the regime and view the Hashemites as occupiers of eastern Palestine—intruders rather than legitimate rulers. This, in turn, makes a regime change in Jordan more likely than ever. Such a change, however, would not only be confined to the toppling of yet another Arab despot but would also open the door to the only viable peace solution—and one that has effectively existed for quite some time: a Palestinian state in Jordan.The majority Palestinian population of Jordan bridles at the advantages and benefits bestowed on the minority Bedouins. Advancement in the civil service, as well as in the military, is almost entirely a Bedouin prerogative with the added insult that Palestinians pay the lion’s share of the country’s taxes. Despite having held a comprehensive national census in 2004, the Jordanian government would not divulge the exact percentage of Palestinians in the kingdom. Nonetheless, the secret that everyone seems to know but which is never openly admitted is that Palestinians make up the vast majority of the population. [LARGE SECTION LEFT OUT. GO TO LINK ABOVE TO READ IT] Conclusion Considering the Palestinian-Jordanian option for peace would not pose any discrimination against Palestinians living in the West Bank, nor would it compromise their human rights: They would be welcome to move to Jordan or stay where they are if they so wished. Free will should be the determinant, not political pressure. Besides, there are indications that many would not mind living in Jordan.[36] Were the Palestinians to dominate Jordan, this tendency will be significantly strengthened. This possibility has also recently been confirmed by a released cable from the U.S. embassy in Amman in which Palestinian political and community representatives in Jordan made clear that they would not consider the “right of return” should they secure their civil rights in Jordan.[37] Empowering Palestinian control of Jordan and giving Palestinians all over the world a place they can call home could not only defuse the population and demographic problem for Palestinians in Judea and Samaria but would also solve the much more complicated issue of the “right of return” for Palestinians in other Arab countries. Approximately a million Palestinian refugees and their descendents live in Syria and Lebanon, with another 300,000 in Jordan whom the Hashemite government still refuses to accept as citizens. How much better could their future look if there were a welcoming Palestinian Jordan? The Jordanian option seems the best possible and most viable solution to date. Decades of peace talks and billions of dollars invested by the international community have only brought more pain and suffering for both Palestinians and Israelis—alongside prosperity and wealth for the Hashemites and their cronies. It is time for the international community to adopt a more logical and less costly solution rather than to persist in long discredited misconceptions. It is historically perplexing that the world should be reluctant to ask the Hashemites to leave Jordan, a country to which they are alien, while at the same time demanding that Israeli families be removed by force from decades-old communities in their ancestral homeland. Equally frustrating is the world’s silence while Palestinians seeking refuge from fighting in Iraq are locked in desert camps in eastern Jordan because the regime refuses to settle them “unless foreign aid is provided.”[38] The question that needs to be answered at this point is: Has the West ever attempted to establish any contacts with a pro-peace, Palestinian-Jordanian opposition? Palestinians today yearn for leaders. Washington is presented with a historical opportunity to support a potential Palestinian leadership that believes in a peace-based, two-state solution with the River Jordan as the separating border between the two countries. Such leadership does seem to exist. Last September, for example, local leaders in Jordanian refugee camps stopped Palestinian youth from participating in mass protests against the Israeli Embassy in Amman;[39] as a result, barely 200 protesters showed up instead of thousands as in similar, previous protests.[40] As for East Jerusalem, under Israel’s 44-year rule, Muslims, Christians, and members of all other religions have been able to visit and practice their faith freely, just as billions of people from all over the world visit the Vatican or Muslim pilgrims flock to Mecca. Yet under the Hashemite occupation of the city, this was not done. Without claiming citizenship, Jerusalem would remain an open city to all who come to visit. The Jordanian option is an overdue solution: A moderate, peaceful, economically thriving, Palestinian home in Jordan would allow both Israelis and Palestinians to see a true and lasting peace. Mudar Zahran is a Jordanian-Palestinian writer who resides in the United Kingdom as a political refugee. He served as an economic specialist and assistant to the policy coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Amman before moving to the U.K. in 2010. [1] “Jordan: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2001,” Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, Mar. 4, 2002. [2] “The Report: Emerging Jordan 2007,” Oxford Business Group, London, Apr. 2007. [3] “Jordan: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 2001,” Mar. 4, 2002. [4] “Brief History,” Civil Service Consumer Corporation, Government of Jordan, Amman, 2006. [5] Jordan News Agency (PETRA, Amman), Jan. 10, 2011. [6] “Jordan: Palestinians,” World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, Minority Rights Group International, 2008, accessed Sept. 20, 2011. [7] “Stateless Again,” Human Rights Watch, New York, Feb. 1, 2010. [8] The Arab Times (Kuwait City), Jan. 13, 2011. [9] “Jordan: Stop Withdrawing Nationality from Palestinian-Origin Citizens,” Human Rights Watch, Washington, D.C., Feb. 1, 2010. [10] “Jordan: Information on the right of abode of a Palestinian from the West Bank who holds a Jordanian passport which is valid for five years,” Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Oct. 1, 1993, JOR15463.FE. [11] “Jordan’s treatment of failed refugee claimants,” Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Mar. 9, 2004, JOR42458.E. [12] The Palestinian National Charter, Resolutions of the Palestine National Council, July 1-17, 1968. [13] Al-Jazeera (Riyadh), Oct. 1, 2005. [14] Amman News, May 2, 2011. [15] Ibid., May 2, 2011. [16] Awni Jadu al-Ubaydi, Jama’at al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin fi al-Urdunn wa-Filastin, 1945-1970 (Amman: Safahat Ta’arikhiyya, 1991), pp. 38-41. [17] Samer Libdeh, “The Hashemite Kingdom of Apartheid?” The Jerusalem Post, Apr. 26, 2010. [18] CNN, Nov. 28, 2007. [19] Michael Korda, Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia (New York: Harper, 2010), p. 19. [20] Hürriyet (Istanbul), Mar. 4, 2011. [21] Libdeh, “The Hashemite Kingdom of Apartheid?” [22] PETRA, Aug. 6, 2011. [23] “Profile: Jordanian Triple Agent Who Killed CIA Agents,” The Telegraph (London), Jan. 2010. [24] Al-Arabiya TV (Dubai), Aug. 3, 2004. [25] The Jerusalem Post, Sept. 24, 2010. [26] Los Angeles Times, Oct. 1, 2006. [27] The Guardian (London), Dec. 6, 2010. [28] Qudosi Chronicles (Long Beach, Calif.), Dec. 16, 2010. [29] “Assessment for Palestinians in Jordan,” Minorities at Risk, Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland, College Park, Md., Dec. 31, 2006. [30] “Jordan Military Expenditures—Percent of GDP,” CIA World Factbook, May 16, 2008. [31] Ha’aretz (Tel Aviv), Mar. 2, 2010. [32] Lilach Grunfeld, “Jordan River Dispute,” The Inventory of Conflict and Environment Case Studies, American University, Washington, D.C., Spring 1997. [33] Mary Jane Bolle, Alfred B. Prados, and Jeremy M. Sharp, “Qualifying Industrial Zones in Jordan and Egypt,” Congressional Research Service, Washington, D.C., July 5, 2006. [34] Mitchell Bard, “Modern Jordan,” Jewish Virtual Library, accessed Aug. 11, 2011. [35] The Christian Science Monitor (Boston), Jan. 30, 2003. [36] The Forward (New York), Apr. 13, 2007. [37] “The Right of Return: What It Means in Jordan,” U.S. Embassy, Amman, to Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Washington, D.C., Feb. 6, 2008. [38] “Non-Iraqi Refugees from Iraq in Jordan,” Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Feb. 20, 2007. [39] Mudar Zahran, “A Plan B for Jordan?” Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C., Sept. 16, 2011. [40] The Washington Post, Sept. 15, 2011.

Police arrest two Palestinian terrorists carrying explosives in the West Bank

Here we go again: Keeping track? Yoel Goldman April 21, 2012 Police on Thursday arrested two Palestinian terrorists who were carrying four pipe bombs, an “improvised” gun, ammunition and knives at the Tapu’ah junction near the West Bank settlement of Ariel. Both suspects are 17 years old and residents of the Balata refugee camp, which is next to Nablus, according to Ynet News. They arrived at the junction via taxi and began walking toward a checkpoint on site. They aroused suspicion among IDF guards and police stationed at the checkpoint, who pulled them aside for a routine search. A bomb squad was dispatched to the scene to inspect and neutralize the suspicious items. The young men were taken into custody and were undergoing interrogation by authorities on Saturday afternoon. In a separate incident, IDF forces discovered an improvised bomb near the city of Jenin in the West Bank. Police carried out a controlled detonation.