Today’s Top Stories
1. Israel’s growing ties in the Arab world may mean a new political landscape, and decreasing importance placed on the international value to Israel of relations with Palestinians.
2. The IDF is investigating the shooting death Friday of a Palestinian man after he allegedly charged at troops in a guard post near the West Bank settlement of Ofra, north of Ramallah. The investigation is taking place because preliminary reports say the suspect most likely did not pose a threat to the soldiers, even though he was running toward their position and had ignored calls to stop.
3. 20 Syrian civilians were reportedly killed by a Turkish bombardment of the Kurdish-controlled village Jeb el-Kuss.
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Israel and the Palestinians
•Waheed Borsh, who worked for the U.N. development agency for 13 years, was arrested in Israel on July 16 on suspicion of aiding Hamas. The United Nations requested that Israel grant him diplomatic immunity based on his relationship with the UN, but this week, Israel declined the request because of his connection to Hamas, an internationally recognized terror organization.
• USA Today analyzes a recent stabbing attack in Jerusalem, in light of the overall reduction in terrorism in Israel. (Only 10 attacks in July after 103 in June, which is down from 620 last October). The article is notable for being especially well written: it calls terrorism “terrorism,” correctly frames the attack as being an attack, and even correctly states the declared Palestinian reasons for such attacks (including false rumors that Israel would take control of the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem). Other news sources have been known to invert the attacker and the victim, to create false equivalence between the number of Israeli victims and the number of Palestinian attackers who died in the act of attacking, and often misstate the reasons for the wave of terror as being frustration over lack of a peace process, even though Palestinian leaders and individuals typically say differently when speaking domestically.
Mideast Matters
• Israeli terror victims have lost an appeal in US court against a Lebanese bank that provided support for Hezbollah. The ruling was based on a principal in international law that applies a degree of immunity for foreign corporations when doing business abroad.
• A new law will give the Israeli government expanded powers to fight cyber-terrorism.
Around the World
• Was Israeli-made software used by governments to spy on individuals’ iPhones in the United Arab Emirates and Mexico? This is one more example of the ubiquitous presence of Israeli technology products around the world, even (apparently) in the hands of foreign governments.
• As former Canadian PM Stephen Harper begins to design his post-political career, he may end up consulting for the Israeli government.
• U.S. Vice-President Biden threatened to cut all U.S. support for its Syrian Kurdish allies, considered the most competent rebel force fighting the Islamic State, if they do not comply with Turkish demands that they withdraw to the east of the Euphrates River. The Washington Institute analyzes some of the factors surrounding the Kurdish goal of statehood.
Commentary/Analysis
• Ten years after the death of lone soldier Michael Levin, Times of Israel takes a look back. Levin came from America to join the IDF before being killed in action in the Second Lebanon War. He was a “lone soldier” meaning that he had no local family in Israel to support him. In his memory, lone soldier centers and services have been set up around Israel, making a meaningful change to the lone soldier experience.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Ynet: Israeli aid group IsraAid going to Louisiana to assist flood victims
– GeoPoliticalFutures: The illusion of growing Russian influence in the Middle East
– NavyTimes: Iranian boat harasses US destroyer in Persian Gulf
Kurdistan image: CC BY Ferhates via Wikimedia commons
Featured image: CC BY Pedro Ribeiro Simones via flickr with additions by HonestReporting
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