Man lightly injured in Rehovot attack

Young Jenin resident arrested in central Israeli city after threatening to harm residents with axe; tells investigators he sought to avenge his friend's death in Gaza bombing

By Eli Senyor

One man was lightly injured in a terror attack in the central Israeli city of Rehovot on Friday afternoon. A Jenin resident armed with an axe arrived at the city's main city and threatened to harm passersby. He was arrested by policemen passing by before managing to hurt additional people.

Foiled Attack

Police kill Palestinian attempting to torch gas station / Efrat Weiss

Police receive reports of man trying to set gas station on fire. Upon arriving at scene suspect starts running towards them holding up unidentified object in his hand; officers open fire and kill him

An initial investigation revealed that the man, in his 20s, arrived at the city's Herzl Street with an axe in his hand. He began shouting, "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) and threatened to beat the residents.

Officers traveling in a police patrol car spotted the man and managed to gain control over him.

The man was taken in for questioning at the police station and was to be handed over to the Shin Bet later on. He told his investigators that he had arrived in the city in order to avenge the death of his friend, apparently in an Israeli strike in Gaza.

The police are attempting to find out how the man managed to reach Rehovot from Jenin.

Source: Eli Senyor. YNet.com (01.09.09) [FullText]

Israel issues first solar licenses based on technology developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot

Ehud Zion Waldoks, JPost.com

"The first licenses to build photovoltaic (PV) and thermal solar-energy plants have been granted, the Public Utility Authority announced Wednesday.

The Arava Power Company received the first PV license in Israeli history on Tuesday, allowing it to build a 4.9 megawatt solar plant at Kibbutz Ketura in the Eilot region of the Arava desert. The first solar thermal plant of 100 kilowatts will be built by Edig Solar.

The licenses must be approved by National Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.

"This is an historic day for renewable energy in Israel," Arava Power Company president Yosef Abramowitz said in a statement. "For the first time, a large solar project is being launched that will be connected to the national grid, with many more megawatts on the way in the coming years. The Public Utility Authority is making a reality Ben-Eliezer's dramatic decision to produce thousands of megawatts of electricity from renewable sources by 2020."

The Arava Power Company also praised the Public Utility Authority for its diligent work in creating the license.

According to the authority, the licenses will be granted for 18 months, at the end of which the plants are expected to have been built, connected to the grid and financially viable.

Arava said it would begin building the power plant at a cost of NIS 120 million as soon as the new feed-in tariffs for medium-sized plants were approved.

Abramowitz has said that a rate of NIS 1.80 per kilowatt hour would make the project viable economically. The plant would cover about 80 dunams, the authority said.

Arava recently worked out an agreement with 15 kibbutzim in the Negev and Arava to use their land for solar fields.

Edig Solar uses technology developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. The plant is expected to become operational in March..."

Source: Ehud Zion Waldoks. Israel issues first solar licenses. JPost.com (8 Jan 2008) [FullText]

Two hurt in Rehovot terror axe attack

An ax-wielding 20-year-old man from Jenin attacked passersby on Rehovot's main Herzl Street on Friday, lightly wounding two people.

The assailant then stood with the ax and shouted "Allahu Akhbar" before being arrested.

A 17-year-old suffered light cuts near his ear. He was treated at the scene. A second person also sustained light wounds, but left before paramedics could reach him.

The attacker told police he came to avenge the death of a friend who died in the IDF's Gaza operation.

"We view this as a sporadic incident, not an organized attack," a Shfela Police spokeswoman said.

The suspect was transferred to the security forces for further questioning.

Source: Yaakov Lappin. Two hurt in Rehovot terror axe attack (9, 11/01/2009) JPost.com [FullText]

Rehovot mayor Shuki Forer assures his town is out of Hamas' rocket range

"Tuesday, Jan. 5, Rehovot mayor Shuky Forer assured his town it was out of Hamas' rocket range. Military sources are less confident. Whereas the Homeland Command decided to leave the town out of its emergency planning, intelligence sources do not rule out the possibility that Hamas has kept hidden in one of its bunkers long-range rockets with ranges of 70-75 km, which would put Rehovot and Rishon within their sights and also the nuclear installation at the Negev town of Dimona."

Source: Second day of Israel's ceasefire for humanitarian corridor. DEBKAfile Special Report (8 Jan 2009)[FullText]

A letter from New Zealand: Threat of missiles landing on Rehovot

6 January 2009

Mayor Shuki Forer,
Rehovot.
Israel

Dear Sir,

I have friends living in Rehovot and I am very concerned to be reassured of their safety after reading the most recent warning from the IDF and published in Israeli newspapers and on your own website today that Rehovot may be within range of the new missiles.

What steps have been taken to ensure the safety of residents of Rehovot?

Yours faithfully,

Lee Goffin
Barrister
26 Turama Road,
One Tree Hill,
Auckland 1023
New Zealand.

Infant lightly hurt in rocket attack on Gedera, located between Rehovot and Ashdod

Eli Senyor

Grad fired from northern Gaza explodes near house; three-month-old girl hurt, several people treated for shock. Earlier, rockets fired at Netivot, Eshkol Regional Council

A Grad rocket fired from north Gaza Tuesday morning exploded near a house in the city of Gedera, located between Rehovot and Ashdod.

Magen David Adom emergency services said a three-month-old girl sustained minor injuries in the attack and a number of people suffered shock.

A Gedera resident who lives in close proximity to the house told Ynet, "No siren was sounded before the rocket hit. It's very scary. I don’t want to leave the city, that isn't the solution, but we should at least be warned of incoming projectiles so we can take cover in secure rooms."

According to Gedera Regional Council Head Yoel Gamliel, "the sirens were activated for a few seconds, but some of them malfunctioned. We are looking into it with the IDF's Home Front Command. The sirens will be repaired."

Members of the Kidron family suffered their greatest blow when their one-year-old dog Sili was killed from shrapnel in the yard. Twelve-year-old daughter Shir who was staying in a room on the ground floor was saved after running to the shelter when the siren was sounded. The room she was previously in was completely destroyed.

Source: Eli Senyor Ynet.com - Israel News (01.06.09, 09:31)

Rehovot, Rishon may be in Hamas rocket range

Yaakov Katz, Yaakov Lappin of JPost.com

"Fearing that Hamas may have missiles with a range over 40 kilometers, the IDF Home Front Command has instructed the Rishon Lezion and Rehovot municipalities to prepare their bomb shelters, The Jerusalem Post has learned and reported on Monday.

Defense officials said Sunday that the air force had destroyed a significant percentage of Hamas's long-range Kassams and Grad-model Katyusha rockets, but that it was likely the group still had "several thousand" left.

Most of Hamas's Grad rockets were produced in Iran and have a range of 20-40 kilometers. The Iranians built the missiles with a special technology and they can be dismantled into several components and then be reassembled once smuggled into Gaza. Hamas also has a number of Chinese-made 122mm Katyusha rockets that were smuggled into the Strip last January after the Islamist group blew up the border wall with Egypt.

The IDF has, however, not ruled out the possibility that Hamas may have a handful of more advanced Katyushas that are capable of reaching Rishon Lezion and Rehovot.

"We need to be prepared for every scenario, including the possibility that Hamas has longer-range rockets that can hit cities north of Ashdod," a source in the Home Front Command said.

Last week, police were already getting ready for the possibility of rockets hitting the Rehovot area. "We are prepared with special police forces such as sappers and CSI teams," a spokeswoman said.

Due to the IDF operations in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Police and Home Front Command are preparing for the possibility that Hamas rocket squads will be forced to operate from within built-up areas farther south. If this happens, the IDF believes that more rockets may hit Ashkelon, which enjoyed a relative respite from attacks on Sunday.

The calm should not fool local authorities into letting their guard down, the newly-appointed Southern District police chief, Cmdr. Yohanan Danino, warned during a meeting with the city's Mayor Benny Vaknin..."

Source: Yaakov Katz, Yaakov Lappin (5 Jan 2009) JPost.com [FullText]

Rehovot mayor admits to contract scheme

By Ofra Edelman

Rehovot Mayor Yehoshua "Shuky" Forer was convicted yesterday of breach of trust as part of a plea agreement reached in November.

According to the original indictment, the Rehovot municipality awarded work costing about NIS 3.75 million to a public works contractor without issuing a tender in exchange for paying off NIS 93,000 in outstanding debts for Forer from his 1998 election campaign. Forer was originally charged with accepting a bribe, conspiracy to commit a crime, fraud, breach of trust and related offenses. He was also charged with failing to report a bank account used for his election campaign. As part of the plea bargain Forer admitted to only a small part of the charges and refused to concede that his actions were deceptive.

At the sentencing hearing on February 11 the state will ask the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court to impose community service, probation and a fine, as well as to define Forer's crime as one of moral turpitude, thus forcing him to resign his post.

Source: Ofra Edelman. Rehovot mayor admits to contract scheme. Haaretz.com (2 Jan 2009) [FullText]