JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Ramadan month has been a focal point for increased terror incidents in Israel and abroad in recent years. Shin Bet director Ronen Bar warned Sunday that the security agency is dealing with an unprecedented number of terror attack warnings, indicating that the motivation to perpetrate attacks remains as strong as ever.
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Despite this, Israeli and Palestinian religious leaders have made attempts in recent years to utilize the customs of the Muslim community in Ramadan, which is officially a month of peace and goodwill marked by prayers, penitence and charity as well as daily fasting. The Iftar ceremony marking the end of the daily fast has been attended by a wide variety of Israelis, including a remarkable meeting between settlers and Arab leaders which took place in 2021 at Iftar in Hevron.
In another unusual Iftar meal which took place near Hevron on Sunday, a number of high-ranking IDF officers from the COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) unit participated in the meal together with local Palestinian businessmen and clan chiefs.
Hebron- A group of Palestinian businessmen, and clan chiefs in town of Ad-dahriyya have a joint iftar party with military occupation officers from the civil administration branch this evening.
“Mutual benefits”. Want their names & titles? He deleted the tiktok video short after. pic.twitter.com/RtzE1pBBQz
— Younis | يونس (@ytirawi) April 1, 2023
The Hamas terror group issued a statement on Sunday condemning the meeting as a “completely unacceptable normalization that contradicts the values of our nation of boycotting and opposing the terror regime.”
“This behavior betrays the legacy of our brave martyrs that calls for an escalation of resistance and a call to arms,” Hamas said.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Liberation Front for Palestine (PFLP) also condemned the meeting.
“This completely unacceptable act comes in the shadow of the crimes of the occupation and the continued terror against our people,” Islamic Jihad said. “It is a knife in the back of our brave resistance.”
Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen also hosted an Iftar meal for foreign dignitaries including ambassadors and diplomats from Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain, UAE, Morocco, Albania, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Tanzania, Chad and Azerbaijan.
Foreign dignitaries at Iftar meal in Israeli Foreign Ministry
Dear Jews stop trying to befriend Muslims.,you’ll end up with a knife in your back. .
Do we really never learn?
First, they fast, then they eat, then they KILL. The life of an arab.