Today’s Top Stories
1. Islamic State’s planning “imminent” attacks on Jewish schools and youth centers in Turkey according to Sky News. Turkish and Israeli officials are refusing to comment.
The most likely target of an attack is Istanbul’s synagogue in Beyoglu, which also has a community centre and a school attached to it.
“In light of these circumstances, extraordinary security measures are being taken above and beyond the high alert level already in place by the Turkish police, as well as vigilance within the Jewish community,” an intelligence source told Sky News.
The Beyoglu district synagogue Sky News refers to is Neve Shalom which already has a grim experience with terror. In 1986, terrorists believed to be from the Abu Nidal Organization opened fire on Shabbat worshippers, killing 22. And in 2003, coordinated truck bombs blew up at Neve Shalom and the nearby Bet Israel synagogue, killing 24 in an attack attributed to Al Qaida.
Yesterday, Israel warned its citizens to leave Turkey immediately.
2. A man hijacked an EgyptAir flight, diverting it to Cyprus. He eventually surrendered to police, but reports are conflicted on the motive. Some said it was a family tiff, others said the hijacker is demanding Egypt release female prisoners. The Israeli Air Force had scrambled its jets as a precaution.
3. The Jerusalem Post reports that Hamas is secretly pulling its personnel out of the Sinai, and even kidnapped and brought back to Gaza one of its operatives who refused to return to the Strip.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
4. Flying in the Face of BDS: What Fuels the Hate?: After speaking at the Ynet/Yedioth Ahranoth anti-BDS conference in Jerusalem, HR CEO Joe Hyams explains why the BDS movement thrives on more than anti-Semitism, cash and ill-will.
5. Video: Israel’s Channel 10 Report on Media Bias Features HR: I’m proud to say we caught the attention of the Israeli media. For the record, we were notified that Channel 10 incorrectly referred to a certain headline (“3 Palestinians Shot Dead”) as coming from AP. In fact, that headline came from a different news source.
Israel and the Palestinians
• A columnist for the official Palestinian Authority daily, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, blamed Israel for the Brussels and Paris terror attacks. MEMRI picked up on the latest from Muwaffaq Matar:
I do not want to point fingers, but why is it that ISIS’s crimes and massacres in France and Brussels coincided with Europe’s first attempt to liberate itself from Israel’s blackmail and from the [guilt] complex over the persecution of the Jews in Europe? [Why did they coincide] with the European parliaments supporting the Palestinians’ right [to a state], for the first time? Was it not France that conceived the idea of an international conference that would lead to ending the conflict and the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories?
• Haaretz: An Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher who called for the slaughter of Jews was convicted of incitement.
• In case you’re wondering how Islamic Jihad’s Maagad Ben Juwad Oydeh managed to allegedly hack into IDF drone feeds, The Daily Beast takes a closer look.
• To learn more about the threat Islamic State jihadis in the Sinai pose to Israel, the BBC‘s Yolanda Knell visited the Israeli-Egyptian border.
• Evergreen headline of the day. Big yawn:
Hamas, Fatah said to agree to elections within 6 months
Around the World
• Prince Charles is considering making the first official royal trip to Iran in 40 years. The Independent writes that “it is hoped that Prince Charles’ trip will help to boost trade and commercial links.”
Since Israel’s founding in 1948, no member of the royal family has ever paid an official visit.
• The Islamic Society of Wichita cancelled a fundraising dinner amid threats of a protest against the evening’s featured speaker, who is said to have links to Hamas.
Commentary/Analysis
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Ronald Lauder: BDS is the modern form of anti-Semitism
– Jonathan Tobin: Why anti-Israel becomes anti-Jew
– Eric Alterman: The BDS movement and anti-Semitism on campus
– Richard Cravatts: Anti-Semitism on California campuses
– MP Chris Bryant: If Labour gives in to anti-Semitism, it loses its soul
– Daniel Wagner: Brussels, Israel and airport security
– Elliott Abrams: The British royals and Israel – again
– Jacques Neriah: Is Turkey planning to destabilize Lebanon?
Featured image: CC BY-NC-SA xeeliz with additions by HonestReporting; Neve Shalom via YouTube/Liz Scott-Dawkins; Prince Charles via YouTube/Sky News;
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
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