Today’s Top Stories
1. UNESCO seeks to save Jewish sites in Iraq from ISIS destruction. But will a plan come together in time to save the tombs of the Biblical prophets, Ezekiel, Daniel and Nahum? More at Israel HaYom.
2. Kurdish source cast doubt on reports that Canadian-Israeli citizen Gill Rosenberg was captured by ISIS, calling it “false propaganda.” According to Canadian and Israeli media reports:
“We can say with a high level of certainty that no Israeli volunteer, or any international volunteer for that matter, arrived to fight in the city of Kobani in Syria.”
They said she is meant to be training in the Kandil mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan, along with other international volunteers.
In addition, they said, international volunteers are not placed in combat roles, but instead support the front-line fighters.
Meanwhile, it was posted on Facebook that Rosenberg had said she’d be away from internet access for a few days.
3. Former AP Staffer Pens New Media Bias Expose: Matti Friedman reveals even more about the misreporting from Israel and the Palestinian territories. Washington Post columnist Jackson Diehl tweeted his take:
4. The Times Misleads on Arab Ban in Ashkelon: HonestReporting secures a correction after The Times of London erroneously states that Palestinian construction workers are banned from Ashkelon schools.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Israeli civilian stabbed in Gush Etzyon terror attack. The assailant was shot by nearby soldiers and is now hospitalized. The Times of Israel reports clashes broke out in a nearby village.
• Mahmoud Abbas to Egyptian media: destroying Rafah smuggling tunnels is the best solution. Haaretz quotes this extra dig at Hamas:
Abbas also took advantage of his improved standing in the Egyptian press to attack Hamas, saying it is an inseparable part of the Muslim Brotherhood and takes orders from the Brotherhood’s international leadership.
• Jerusalem’s Max Rayne Hand in Hand school was torched and defaced with racist, anti-Arab graffiti. Jews and Arabs learn together bilingually, making it an example of the possibilities of coexistence. The attack hit home for reporters Ben Lynfield and Ilene Prusher, who send their kids there.
• AP picked up on Israel commemorating the 800,000 or so Jewish refugees who fled Arab countries during the early days of the state.
Some Israelis say that just as the international community recognizes the plight of the 750,000 Palestinians who fled or were forced to flee during the war that led to Israel’s creation, it should also take note of the exodus of the 800,000 Middle Eastern Jews.
• According Hurriyet, Israeli rejected a proposal to bring a Turkish power-generating ship to help Gaza. The Turkish paper cited no reason for the decision.
• Your daily dose of sensationalism, courtesy the Daily Telegraph:
Commentary/Analysis
• Could Qatar and Turkey be in trouble if the PA brings Israelis before the International Criminal Court? On one hand, points out Yonah Jeremy Bob, neither is a member of the ICC. But Qatar is Hamas’s primary sponsor, and Turkey may be asked to turn Hamas figures over to the court — either as witnesses or defendants. The potential spillover could make Palestinians balk at playing the ICC card.
• Bassem Shabb explains why Hezbollah’s literally ill-equipped for fighting against jihadis in Syria:
On the other hand, Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria exposed its lack of direct firepower as well as its inadequate surveillance for guerilla-style warfare in which it is on the receiving end. The conflict now involved jihadis with light weapons and mobile anti-tank missiles facing Hezbollah fighters with similar weapons. In a sense, Hezbollah had prepared for the wrong war. Long range missiles and short range Katyusha rockets designed for a war against Israel were now of little use. Chinese anti-ship missiles as well as concealed anti-tank and short range missiles in south Lebanon facing Israel seemed of little military value when the real threat to Hezbollah came from across the long and ragged border with Syria. Hezbollah did not anticipate this and was ill prepared for irregular warfare and border control. It has resorted to erecting fixed positions not unlike what the Israelis erected in south Lebanon.
• For more commentary/analysis, see Aaron David Miller (Defying the West on the nuclear issue is a point of pride for Iran) and Ksenia Svetlova (Goodbye, Tahrir Square revolution).
Image: CC BY-NC flickr/Rowen Atkinson
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