Israel Foiled Hamas’ Holiday Terror Plot

Israeli Security Personnel. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock

Israeli Security Personnel. Illustrative. By Joshua Spurlock

Two members of Hamas were arrested earlier this year for plotting to attack Israeli civilians during the holiday of Purim, the IDF Blog reported this week. The planned terror attack was to take place at a checkpoint near Jerusalem and the terrorists were found with an assault rifle, a handgun and ammo. The IDF Blog said the operatives had previously undergone “extensive weapons training.”

Jewish holidays are prime targets for attacks and extra security measures during those times are common. The holiday of Purim celebrates the victory of Queen Esther in foiling the plot of Haman to destroy the Jewish people, and this time around the IDF, Israel Security Agency and police played the heroic role.

The day after the IDF announced the foiled plot, Israel was marking another important day—Holocaust Remembrance Day. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin was quoted as emphasizing that Israel would defend themselves even as they recognize the threats of enemies around them.

“We will not belittle any threats. Nor belittle, shameful statements calling for the extinction of the Jewish people,” said Rivlin in comments released by the Israeli Government Press Office. “Yet, while we are prepared, we are not scared. The horrors of the past and the threats of the present, will not dictate our lives, nor shape the lives of our children. They will not dim our hopes for a future of creation and prosperity.”

Rivlin also took time to reject the notion held by many of its enemies that the State of Israel exists because of the Holocaust.

“There are those who mistakenly think that the State of Israel is some form of compensation for the Holocaust,” noted Rivlin. “There is no greater mistake… The State of Israel was established, in its own right, out of a love and longing for an ancient homeland, by virtue of a dream that came true, a dream that became a reality.”

(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, April 15, 2015)

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