Free Republic

Apr. 11, 2006 23:57 | Updated Apr. 12, 2006 2:51 Pessah teddy bears plagued by taxman By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER An American 12-year-old who helped collect 7,000 teddy bears for sick children in Israel for Pessah had no idea that the stuffed animals would be temporarily barred from entering the Promised Land. Shira Goldstein's family spent the first half of this week begging the Customs Authority to let her teddy bears go. But the authorities only agreed to release them after NIS 8,900 in import taxes and duties were paid on Tuesday. "My heart could break. Everybody has stepped to...

The Shin Bet and security forces succeeded in thwarting a number of suicide bomb attacks that were to have taken place inside Israel as well as others that were to have been launched against IDF forces and Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria. Security officials believe that terror organizations led by the Hamas will attempt to perpetrate attacks as Independence Day approaches in retaliation for the killing of spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin. Over the past weeks, over 10 perpetrators were arrested, and 5 major attacks have been prevented, including 3 suicide attacks. In one case, a Balata woman was forced...