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editorial

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vil Haman plotted to destroy the
Jewish people in part because
of the free rein he had from the
king of biblical Persia. Iran is living up
to its Persian roots by consorting with
Palestinian evildoers bent on destroying
the Jewish state.
Next Wednesday night, March 23,
begins Purim, the Jewish holiday com-
memorating the Persian land’s ancient ties
to demeaning and threatening the Jewish
people. It’s not a reach to link the anti-
Jewish Persia of the fourth century BCE to
the anti-Zionist regime in Tehran now.
Haman sought influence by coaxing
King Ahasuerus with riches, assurances of
obedient subjects and appeals to his van-
ity. Mordechai was a cousin of Esther, who
was in the king’s harem but who kept her
Jewish identity secret. Because Mordechai,
a Jew, would not bow down to him,
Haman turned against the Jewish people
and chose the 14th day of Adar by purim,
by lots, to execute his plot.
Esther, encouraged by Mordechai,
intervened despite knowing she could
draw a death decree by being in the king’s
presence uninvited. After a three-day fast
to steel herself, she approached the king

and exposed Haman’s plot. The Jews were
saved while their would-be slayer was
hung on gallows meant for Mordechai.

FAST FORWARD
Today, Iran is flush with cash freed up by
sanctions relief in exchange for temporar-
ily curbing its nuclear program as a result
of the 2015 U.S.-brokered Vienna deal
between itself and six world powers.
Iran’s ruling clerics have vowed to
send thousands of dollars to families of
Palestinians killed in the 5½-month wave
of Palestinian violence waged against
Israeli soldiers and civilians since October.
Many of the young Palestinian attackers
were in the midst of carrying out terror
attacks in and around Jerusalem.
Mohammad Fateh Ali, Iran’s ambas-
sador to Lebanon, announced the Islamic
Republic would send $7,000 to families
of “martyrs of the intifada in occupied
Jerusalem” and $30,000 to each family
whose home was demolished after a rela-
tive committed a terror attack.
“The blood of the martyrs,” Ali
declared, “will bring the liberation of all
Palestine from the sea to the river.”
Palestinian leaders connected to the

Fatah and Hamas terrorist military wings
have targeted Israel over the years via
suicide bombings, sniper attacks, kidnap-
pings and other desperate acts. Ongoing
Palestinian violence, fomented largely
by 15- to 25-year-olds from the Arab-
dominated eastern sector of Jerusalem
and the West Bank, may or may not be
tied to an organized terrorist network,
but it draws on that wellspring for inspi-
ration.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry justifiably
maintains the “martyrdom” funding “is
further proof of Iran’s deep involvement in
support for anti-Israel terrorism.”
Clearly, Iran has wasted no time thrust-
ing itself back into the limelight of inter-
national terror, the Vienna nuclear pact
notwithstanding.

INTERNAL UNREST
Notably, Iran’s Feb. 26 announcement indi-
cated that funding would go to families of
“martyrs” via channels it vets — bypassing
the Palestinian Authority’s Martyrs and
Prisoners Foundation. The politically cor-
rupt P.A. governs Palestinian-controlled
areas of the West Bank and long has been
accused of misallocating foreign aid. Even

CHABAD.ORG

Connecting Haman And Iran

Esther approaches King Ahasuerus

Iran, which harkens to Haman’s evilness,
fears financial incentives given through
the P.A. to honor Palestinian “martyrs”
would be embezzled.
At the same time the P.A. is making
the case that Iran is interfering in inter-
nal Palestinian affairs, Gaza Strip-ruling
Hamas has stated its relations with Tehran
are improving, further exacerbating the
rift between the top Palestinian leadership
factions.
Meanwhile, Israel stays primed to guard
its interests.
The festive and fun holiday of Purim
reminds us that Middle East Jews no lon-
ger have to rely on the whims of a king.
They live in a state that’s democratic,
robust and Jewish — and equipped to
defend itself.
Israel and the Jewish diaspora together,
however, must stand sentry against evil
arising amid the shadows of Haman’s
ghost in the modern-day Persian capital.

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commentary

Seven Anti-Terror ‘Technologies’ Used By Israeli Civilians

I

f ever you’re attacked by a knife-
ersby as the police
wielding terrorist, these seven incred-
arrived on scene.
ible Israeli innovations could save your
3. Selfie Sticks
life, tried and tested over five months of
Matan
near-daily Palestinian attacks in Israel.
Choucroun
They don’t call Israel the Startup Nation
was driving
for nothing.
in Jerusalem
1. Nunchucks
when he saw a
Yair Ben-Shabat
Palestinian ram
happened to be hold-
his car into a
ing nunchucks as he
bus stop and get
walked in Jerusalem
Satirical crest showing out to stab pass-
by the 185 bus, when
ersby with a meat
nunchucks, umbrella
a Palestinian terrorist
cleaver, killing one
and selfie stick
stabbed a soldier on the
and injuring six.
bus
and
tried
to
steal
Matan leapt out
Eylon Aslan-Levy
his
weapon.
“I
jumped
of
his
car,
sprayed
the
terrorist
with pep-
Times of Israel
onto the bus and helped per spray and whacked him over the head
them fight the terror-
with a selfie-stick. The incident prompted
ist,” recalls the unlikely hero. “I took nun-
satirical TV show Eretz Nehederet to
chucks out and hit him where I had to for
design a mock-up logo for a fictional
them to be able to pry loose the weapon
“Neutralization Corps” showing nun-
he held.”
chucks, an umbrella and a selfie stick.
2. Umbrellas
4. Shopping Carts
When a terrorist began stabbing an
Mordechai Stern saved his customers by
Israeli in the stomach and neck at a bus
singlehandedly fending off with a shopping
stop in Raanana, a real estate agent clob-
cart two knife-wielding Palestinian terror-
bered the attacker with an umbrella until
ists trying to enter his minimarket as they
he could be held down by fellow pass-
shouted “Allahu Akbar!” The terrorists had

8 March 17 • 2016

University group trip. The attack took
already stabbed two Israeli women out-
place near where U.S. Vice President Joe
side, one of whom — 23-year-old Shlomit
Biden was holding a meeting.
Krigman — later died of her wounds.
7. The Mayor of Jerusalem
5. The Terrorist’s Own Knife
Before the recent escalation, Mayor of
In a scene straight out of a Tarantino
Jerusalem Nir Barkat personally rugby-
movie, ultra-Orthodox Jew Yonatan
tackled to the ground a Palestinian ter-
Azarihab pulled a knife out of his own
neck and used it to kill the Palestinian ter- rorist on a stabbing spree near City Hall.
rorist who had just stabbed him in Petach As his bodyguards pinned the terrorist
down, the coolest mayor in the world
Tikvah. Azarihab was hospitalized with
then administered first aid to one of the
multiple injuries to his upper body.
victims. The incident spawned a series of
6. Guitars
memes depicting Barkat as Batman.
Yishay Montgomery was strumming
(My above post was deleted from the
his guitar on the beach in Jaffa, when a
BuzzFeed website hours after
Palestinian terrorist
being uploaded. It was censored
leapt at him from the
for containing a “political agen-
boardwalk with a knife.
da.” Apparently the notion of
Montgomery thumped
Jews defending their own lives
the terrorist over the
from political violence is still
head with his guitar,
controversial. So I reposted it in
and chased him away
the Times of Israel.)
till the police could
shoot him. The terror-
Eylon Aslan-Levy is a British-Israeli
ist had already injured
political commentator and writer. He is
at least 10 Israelis and
a graduate of Oxford and Cambridge,
murdered an American
and a veteran lone soldier in the IDF. Get
ex-GI and grad stu-
in touch: eylon.aslanlevy@gmail.com.
dent, Taylor Force, who “Guitar hero” Yishay
Twitter: @EylonALevy.
was on a Vanderbilt
Montgomery

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