Today’s Top Stories
1. The IDF fired a Patriot missile at an aerial drone approaching Israel from Syria. The army said the drone turned back after the Patriot launch, but wasn’t able to verify if it scored a hit. Syrian and Russian forces recently launched an offensive against rebels in southern Syria. The IDF didn’t disclose any information about what kind of drone or who sent it. More at the Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post.
Israel launched extensive air strikes on Iranian targets in Syria in February after an Iranian aerial drone entered Israeli air space.
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2. The Trump administration is prepared to release its peace plan, even if Mahmoud Abbas isn’t willing to return to the negotiating table and questioned the PA leader’s ability to make a deal with Israel. That’s what the president’s son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, told Palestinian media.
Top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat declared the US plan will fail.
Kushner interview to al-Quds confirms likelihood that the Trump plan will result in an Israeli yes, but; an Arab maybe; and a Palestinian no. Trump will say I tried; Palestinians will take hit; and peace process will be parked through midterms.https://t.co/Rr6QRYoeEH
— Aaron David Miller (@aarondmiller2) June 24, 2018
3. The BBC found Andrew Marr guilty of rules breach over a ‘misleading’ claim that Israel killed ‘lots of Palestinian kids’ in response to complaint filed by Jonathan Sacerdoti.
The Corporation’s extraordinary ruling against one of its most senior personalities is almost unprecedented . . .
Fraser Steel, head of executive complaints at the BBC, wrote to Mr Sacerdoti saying: ‘The BBC’s guidelines require that output is “well sourced” and “based on sound evidence”.
‘In the absence of any evidence to support the reference to “lots” of children being killed at the time of transmission, it seems to us to have risked misleading audiences on a material point.
‘We therefore propose to uphold this part of your complaint.’
4. Video: Hamas Paid Family to Say IDF Killed Baby: On i24 News, our Daniel Pomerantz discussed the media war and the revelation that Hamas paid a Gaza family to falsely blame Israel for the death of their baby.
Israel and the Palestinians
• UNESCO to defer Jerusalem and Hebron controversies at this week’s annual meeting. In previous years, the organization has passed resolutions denying Jewish ties to the ancient cities. The Jerusalem Post explains why is this year’s confab in Bahrain different:
But this year, an agreement has been reached by which the committee won’t approve any controversial texts regarding either city; any such texts will be deferred until next year’s annual meeting . . .
Both the United States and Israel are expected to withdraw from UNESCO at the end of this year to protest the organization’s anti-Israel bias, particularly with regard to its resolution on Jerusalem.
• Now that the US has withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council, Israel is lowering its own diplomatic participation. The Times of Israel explains that “Since Israel is not a member of the 47-nation UNHRC, it cannot follow suit this time. But Israeli sources maintained Wednesday that it was possible and even likely that Netanyahu would soon announce that Israel was ceasing all contacts with the council.” Like most non-member countries, Israel, has observer status.
• Seeking to learn more about why the British royal family has (till now) never paid an official visit to Israel, i24 News filed a Freedom of Information request for UK government deliberations on the matter. And the Foreign Office’s reply?
The UK’s relationship with Israel would “likely” be harmed if British officials’ comments about Israel during deliberations over a possible royal visit to the country were made public, the UK Foreign Office told i24NEWS . . .
The Foreign Office said that officials’ comments about the UK-Israel relationship “could have incorrect interpretations put upon them” and would therefore potentially damage the bilateral relationship.
• British Ambassador David Quarrey defended calling Jerusalem’s Old City “part of Occupied Palestinian Territories.” Israeli officials were irked that royal’s visit to the Old City was billed as part of his visit to the Palestinian Authority.
“All the terminology that was used in the program was consistent with years of practice by British governments. It’s consistent with British government policy,” David Quarrey said.
• Hey CNN, neither the state of Israel, nor its democratically elected government, needs a royal imprimatur for its existence. And this 89-word sentence is a crime against editing. To make this sentence easier to follow, I bolded the punctuation.
At a time when Israel is facing international criticism for its use of live fire against Palestinian demonstrators in Gaza and its continued settlement expansion, when the international community has overwhelmingly rejected US President Donald Trump’s unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, when Israel’s plans to demolish the Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar have drawn condemnation, the first ever official visit from Britain’s royal family is a welcome reprieve, one that adds legitimacy to Netanyahu’s government and to Israel as an ally of the United Kingdom.
• 4 Israeli startups to present innovations to Prince William.
• Israel deploys electronic eye to track fire kites and balloons from Gaza.
• Muslim cleanup project ‘illegally disturbed, removed’ ancient soil on Temple Mount, reports the Times of Israel.
Video footage of the multi-day project at the contested holy site shows volunteers with shovels and rakes last week shifting and removing portions of two mounds on the eastern side of the compound made up of earth dumped by the Muslim Waqf custodians during unauthorized excavations since the early 2000s, said Zachi Dvira on behalf of the Committee to Prevent the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount (CPDATM). . .
Due to the highly sensitive nature of the site, archaeologists have never been permitted by Israeli and Muslim authorities to examine the soil in the mounds, and it is unknown what treasures, if any, may be found in the estimated 112 truckloads of dirt there . . .
All unauthorized construction or renovations on the mount are infractions of the fragile status quo that was cobbled together by Israel and the Waqf, the Muslim Jordanian administration of the site, after Israel captured the Old City in the 1967 Six Day War.
• Cyprus, Israel, Greece pledge deeper military ties.
Around the World
• While visiting Jordan, UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said and then tweeted that a Labour government would recognize Palestine as a state.
• Holland’s state TV, NOS, apologized for saying Israel was built on occupied land and threatens to destroy Iran.
• ‘We’re called scum, rats, pigs’: South Africa’s Jews protest soaring antisemitism.
• Tempers rose as far-left IfNotNow members ‘engaged’ Birthrighters at JFK airport.
• Italian hotel removed from Bookings.com after telling Israeli customers “You Jews are never satisfied.”
• Antisemitic slur and swastika found on wall at Boston-area middle school.
Commentary
• Plenty of commentary about Sara Netanyahu’s indictment.
– Yonah Jeremy Bob: Sara Netanyahu’s fall brings Attorney General one step closer to indicting PM
– Yossi Verter: What Sara Netanyahu’s embarrassing indictment means for her husband
– Eliad Shraga: Is Sara Netanyahu not mentally fit to stand trial?
• For more commentary on Israel’s domestic scene, Liat Collins weighs in on Gonen Segev, political manipulations and treason. Saar Netanel argues why Eurovision should be in Tel Aviv over Jerusalem.
• Over at the Times of London, columnists squared off on the issue of Ireland boycotting an Israel-hosted Eurovision competition. (Ireland’s Foreign Minister Simon Coveney ruled out a boycott.) Eithne Shorthall favors boycotting while Eamon Delaney opposes.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Dror Eydar: A gift for the industry of lies
– Avi Issacharoff: Economic collapse or war: Hamas’s cynical, desperate bid to pressure Israel, PA
– Dr. Hanan Shai: Fight Hamas with ethics
– Prof. Efraim Inbar: ‘Mowing the grass’ in Gaza
– Amos Harel: Why Jordan is worried about Trump’s peace plan
– Seth Frantzman: How Qatar’s Jewish strategy backfired
– Bassam Tawil: Palestinians: How to achieve a better life
– Soeren Kern: Spain: Ground zero for Europe’s anti-Israel movement
Featured image: CC BY-NC-ND Alex Moreno Fuster; Prince William via YouTube/The Royal Family Channel; Temple Mount via YouTube/Air Videos; Sara Netanyahu via YouTube/Newsy; Irish flag CC0 Pixabay;
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
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