Today’s Top Stories
1. Renewed violence on the Gaza border: with some 12,000 to 14,000 Palestinians in attendance, several hundred tried to breach Israel’s border. The New York Times reported the following interesting and rather confusing twist:
The breach of the fence was no mere protest: Those assaulting it threw firebombs and rolled burning tires at the fence to try to melt it; at least some carried pistols, according to both the Israeli military and Palestinian witnesses…four Palestinian protesters said they saw two men with handguns fire at Israeli soldiers and then flee…these accounts could not be verified.
In an exclusive conversation with HonestReporting, the IDF clarified that they are not aware of a pistol related incident.
Three Palestinians were killed, bringing the total to 42 over the past month. According to one UN agency 5,500 Palestinians were injured, including 1,739 by live fire, though the figures appear to come ultimately from the less than reliable Hamas controlled Gaza Ministry of Health.
US ambassador Nikki Haley denounced Hamas’s use of civilians as human shields, a side to this story that has been escaping much of the mainstream press as well as the UN itself.
2. Ten Israeli teenagers died in flash floods in southern Israel, while on a hike as part of a “mehina” or post-high school, pre-military educational program. Israeli police arrested three of the youth leaders on charges of negligence.
3. War of words with Iran: In response to earlier statements by Iranian officials, Israel’s defense minister Avigdor Liberman said:
We hear many (Iranian) threats … but if they [Iran] attack Tel Aviv, we will strike Tehran.
Iran and its proxies continue to maintain a military presence in Lebanon and Syria near Israel’s borders, and there have been occasional, limited clashes with IDF.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
Israel and the Palestinians
• WATCH: Crossing Divides: Israeli school for both Jews and Arabs.
• IDF officer Ben Deri who shot and killed a Palestinian teenager with a live round during a stone throwing riot in 2014 is sentenced to 9 months in prison. The IDF forces at the scene had been instructed to use only rubber-coated bullets.
Around the World
•As one of his first actions as Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo plans to visit the Mideast, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel.
• Much discussion about remembering the Holocaust this week, including two pieces in the Washington Post (one and two). In addition, Poland criticizes a statement by Congressman Ro Khanna, (D-CA) that the new Polish law criminalizing certain Holocaust related statements glorifies Nazi collaborators and denies the Holocaust.
• In what we’ve found to be a rather unusual move for mainstream press, both Newsweek and Reuters covered deaths of Palestinians in Syria.
• Jeremy Corbyn’s official Facebook page is littered with vile anti-Semitic posts including claims of ‘supremacist Jews’ taking over Labour, and his new ‘strategy adviser’ once compared Israel with ISIS and worked for group demanding boycott of all Israeli goods. Saddening, but not shocking.
• Merkel’s antisemitism envoy ‘not surprised’ Jews want to leave Germany.
Commentary/Analysis
• Why would an ordinary Palestinian participate in the protests/clashes/riots on the Gaza border? Here’s a different view on the events.
• In Gaza, Hamas Is the Oppressor – Not Israel – Michael Levin
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
–Former U.S. Peace Negotiator: Conditions for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Are Not Present – Aaron David Miller interviewed by Michael Young
–Is Palestinian Terrorism the Result of Desperation? – Fred Maroun
–Paralyzed Man Finishes London Marathon Aided by Israeli Robotic Suit – Tamar Ben-Ozer
Image: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90
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