April 2016

LEGAL ACTION
Shurat HaDin Uncovers Evidence that Flotilla
Lawsuit Against Ehud Barak Based on False
Claims and Fraudulent Ship Registration
In October 2015, former Israeli Defense Minister
Ehud Barak was served with a civil lawsuit in
federal court in California related to the 2010 Turkish Flotilla that attempted
to break Israels naval blockade of Gaza. The suit was brought by relatives of
an individual killed during the attack on Israeli soldiers aboard the Mavi
Marmara ship, and four individuals who claim they were injured by Israeli
soldiers aboard the Challenger I ship. The latter four plaintiffs claim that the
Challenger I was a US-registered ship, and that Israeli soldiers therefore
breached US sovereignty when they boarded the ship.
However, Shurat HaDin has obtained evidence from the US Coast Guard and
US Department of Homeland Security that shows that the Challenger I was
originally a Greek-registered ship named the Golden Flame purchased in
Greece by anti-Israel activists on February 24, 2010. The Golden Flames
registration was deleted from the Greek registry on March 23, 2010, and on
April 1, 2010, the ship was reflagged as an American vessel and registered
under the name Challenger I in Delaware, although it had never docked in a
US port as required. Moreover, due to engine trouble, the ship was forced to
dock in Turkey, and only rejoined the flotilla after the Mavi Marmaras
altercation with the Israel Defense Forces.
Shurat HaDins President Nitsana Darshan-Leitner commented: [The] lawsuit
is nothing more than a hollow attempt to vilify the State of Israel. The
plaintiffs entire case is based upon false allegations and fraudulent evidence.
The facts uncovered in the US Coast Guard documents prove conclusively that
the lawsuit filed by pro-Palestinian activists against Israel is totally frivolous.
To read the Jerusalem Posts article on Shurat HaDins report, click here.

Facebook Continues to Play an Important Role in

Palestinian Terror Attacks
The April 18, 2016 bombing of Egged Bus No. 12 in
Jerusalem injuring 21 people was greeted by many
Palestinians with celebration. The number of
attacks on Israelis in April had been significantly
lower than the previous six months of stabbings,
shootings, car-rammings, and riots. But this attack
was special because it represented the fulfillment
of calls by Hamas to escalate the violence and return to the mass-casualty
suicide attacks that characterized the first and second intifadas.
This attack was also special because it demonstrated the important role
Facebook now plays in the promotion of Palestinian terror attacks. Through
Facebook, Hamas and other terrorist groups are able to connect to Palestinian
youth and drum repeated messages of anger, hate, and revenge into their
minds. But perhaps even more significant, the terrorist groups use Facebook
to give Palestinian youth direct, real-time access to the entire terror process
in an interactive format that promotes their participation.

Shurat HaDins Exclusive

Newsletter for Lawyers!
---------Stories of Interest
---------Facebook and Twitter Shut Down
Hamas Pages After Months of
Criticism
(Algemeiner.com)
Arrests of Facebook inciters
reduces stabbing attacks
(Ynetnews.com)
ISIS terrorists use Facebook to buy
and sell weapons
(Mirror)
US cyber command opening up
new front against ISIS
(Foxnews.com)

Hamas Fundraising Leaders Are

Now Leading the American BDS
Campaign
(Congressional Testimony of
Jonathan Sancher, Foundation for
the Defense of Democracies)
(Video of Hearing)
French Jewish leader calls for
closure of main BDS bank account
(Jerusalem Post)
Microsoft sues US over secret
demands for customer data
(AP story)
(The Complaint)
Kerry Fails to Reassure
Congressional Critics of Plan to
Give Iran Access to Dollars
(thetower.org)
Seven Months of Popular
Palestinian Terrorism
(The Meir Amit Intelligence and
Terrorism Information Center)

For example, in February 2016, Hamas produced and began to distribute through Facebook
a music video honoring Hamas terrorist bombmaker Yahya Ayyash (The Engineer), who
was killed in 1996, and promoting suicide bus bombings. The music video, The roof of the
bus goes flying, features scenes of a young Palestinian father preparing to carry out a
suicide bombing of an Israeli bus. Set to a powerful militant beat, the lyrics of the song
include themes of martyrdom, defending the Al-Aqsa Mosque, killing Jews, and revenge,
and contains the repeated refrain: Oh bearer of good tidings, wrap the explosive belt
around your waist. The story of the Intifada will only be told when the roof of a bus goes flying. The video ends with
the suicide bomber going onto a bus full of Jews, an explosion is heard, and the screen goes black. In addition to the
music video, Hamas-related Facebook pages have repeatedly called for suicide bus bombings against Israelis.
On the day of the recent Jerusalem bus bombing, April 18, 2016, the music video appeared again on Hamas-related
Facebook pages within minutes of the bombing, receiving more than 20,000 views on one site alone. Hamas-related
Facebook pages lit up for days with scenes of the burning bus, people handing out sweets, and celebratory
proclamations and cartoons.
After the bomber, 19-year-old Abed Abu Srour, died on April 20
from his injuries sustained in the blast, Hamas issued a death
notice for Abu Srour on Facebook, praising him as a martyr
for carrying out the operation. Hamas also posted pictures on
Facebook of Abu Srour and the burned-out bus with the hashtag
#The roof of the bus goes flying in Arabic, as well as pictures
of Abu Srour wearing Hamas garb. The same day, Hamas-related
Facebook pages featured posts from Abu Srours own Facebook
page, which included pictures of Hamas bombmaker Yahya
Ayyash and a picture of Yasmin Al-Zaru Tamimi (a Palestinian
terrorist who was shot when she attempted to carry out a stabbing attack on February 14, 2016) that had previously
been distributed by Hamas via Facebook. Next came Hamas Facebook posts and pictures of Abu Srours family, visitors
to congratulate his mother, Hamas ceremonies honoring Abu Srour, and Hamas leaders offering their praise. Hamas
is already using Abu Srours images on Facebook to inspire the next terrorist to act.

Coming Up
Towards a New Law of War Conference: June 20-21, 2016
Following the amazing success of last years Towards a New Law of War
Conference, Shurat HaDin is pleased to announce our second annual
Conference, to be held in June. The 2016 Conference will feature a
dynamic line-up of legal scholars, military leaders, policy makers and
counter-terrorism experts, who will address the numerous legal and
military challenges facing the Jewish State today.
For more information, click here.

Copyright 2016 Shurat HaDin, All rights reserved.

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