Today’s Top Stories
1. A burning kite from Gaza sparked a major blaze in Sderot, covering the city in smoke this morning. By mid-afternoon, the fire was brought under control. Firefighters also battled other blazes today near Kibbutz Nir Am and in the area of Moshav Netiv Ha’asara.
Fires continue to rage in southern #Israel. This video, shot by Dean Sela, shows fires near Sapir college in the city of #Sderot pic.twitter.com/3EC4yJp0KG
— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) June 5, 2018
2. The Shin Bet busted a terror cell planning attacks on Prime Minister Netanyahu, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, and US and Canadian interests. Ynet and the Jerusalem Post reported that the prime suspect was affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) while the Times of Israel reported he was affiliated with a splinter group called the PFLP General Command (PFLP-GC). Reminds me of Monty Python’s People’s Front of Judea scene from The Life of Brian.
In any event, both the PFLP and PFLP-GC are on the US State Department‘s and European Union‘s lists of blacklisted terror groups, and Muhammad Jamal Rashdeh is not a nice guy.
One of the suspects is Muhammad Jamal Rashdeh, 30, from the Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem, who holds an Israeli identity card and has served time in prison in the past for terrorist activity. The investigation revealed that he had planned the attacks with guidance from terrorist elements abroad, including a terror operative from Syria.
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3. The Palestinians are postponing today’s “Naksa Day” protests (marking the anniversary of their defeat in the Six-Day War) to Friday. Ynet explains why, and what we may be in for on Friday.
IDF officials believe, however, that most of the protest clashes on the Gaza border will take place on Friday, in a bid to synchronize the events with the “Jerusalem Day” events in Iran, and that Tuesday’s fence protest will be limited . . .
Hamas’ frustration over the failure of its efforts to get hundreds of Gazans to cross the fence, which was reflected in the firing of more than 100 mortar shells and rockets last week, might indicate that the organization and the other factions in the strip have nothing to lose anymore.
Neverthless, Israeli security forces are braced for violence today. More at the Times of Israel.
4. US Caused 500 Civilian Casualties in 2017. (What does this have to do with Israel?): US armed forces caused almost 500 civilian casualties in 2017. Israel may have a solution.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Army warns Israel will soon have to retaliate for Gaza’s burning kites. Here’s a by the numbers look at the threat based on Haaretz.
– 600: burning kites launched by Palestinians
– 300: fires on the Israeli side started by burning kites
– 1,235: acres of crops destroyed
– $1.4 million: value of crops destroyed
– 518: acres of Jewish National Fund forests in flames
– 988: acres destroyed in Besor Forest Nature Reserve
– thousands: acres of other woodland and brushland destroyed
Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post visited Kibbutz Kfar Aza to get a sense of how the people are living with the new kite threat.
• According to an Arab report picked up by Ynet and Israel HaYom, the Israeli Mossad killed two Iranian military advisors in Libya.
As part of its mission to obtain uranium from Libya’s mines, Iran is attempting to influence local militias by supporting them in exchange for uranium.
The two Iranian advisors were supposed to coordinate between Iran’s regime and the Libyan militias.
• Plenty of buzz over the Israeli Embassy‘s reply to the latest smack-talking tweet from Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini.
— Embassy of Israel (@IsraelinUSA) June 4, 2018
• Correction on an AP story noted in yesterday’s roundup:
In a story June 3 about a major U.S.-led military exercise in the Baltics, The Associated Press, relying on initial erroneous information from U.S. Army Europe, incorrectly reported that non-NATO member Israel is taking part. Israel isn’t participating in the “Saber Strike” exercise, and instead is taking part in another drill in the region.
• In Berlin, Netanyahu warned German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Iran could unleash a new wave of Mideast refugees as Tehran finances regional conflicts with proceeds from eased sanctions. More on the visit at the Wall St. Journal (click via Twitter).
Around the World
• French supermarket manager filmed removing Israeli products at request of a Muslim shopper.
The manager removed the Israeli dates which were placed on a special shelf for Ramadan products after a Muslim shopper complained that the sale of Israeli products on a shelf reserved for Ramadan products was an insult to Muslim sensitivities.
• Farrakhan supporter Tamika Mallory was disinvited from a major Australian social policy conference after latest antisemitic outburst. More at The Australian.
A spokesperson for the summit in Melbourne said organizers were perturbed “both by comments Ms. Mallory made in recent days regarding Israeli-Palestinian affairs, and the capacity for these remarks to overshadow the Good Life Summit.”
Commentary
• Last word on the Gaza protests against the embassy move, Gaza blockade, occupation, Israel’s existence goes to Israeli diplomat Dan Poraz.
Tomorrow is ‘#Naksa Day’, another Palestinian national holiday marking the Jews’ reluctance to die.
On this occasion, #Hamas is again inciting the masses to commit martyrdom suicide while trying to infiltrate into #Israel.#SaveGazaFromHamas pic.twitter.com/gDZCy0A8p9— Dan Poraz (@PorazDan) June 4, 2018
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Eli Lake: How Israel is pulling Russia away from Iran
– Prof. Eyal Zisser: Reality check: Iran isn’t going anywhere
– Anshel Pfeffer: Netanyahu is in Europe as Trump’s lobbyist-in-chief
– David Gerstman: A week of infamy at the United Nations
– Jonathan Tobin: Standing up to the UN shows America’s greatness
– Yoni Ben Menachem: Hamas will go for broke in Gaza
– David Harris: Why history still matters: The 1967 Six-Day War
– Abe Haak: The danger to Jordan of a Palestinian state
– Rachel Lerman: The Anti-Semitism Awareness Act doesn’t restrict free speech — it prevents bullying
Featured image: CC BY Robert Couse-Baker;
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