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Following the announcement of the historic normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas denounced it as a “betrayal of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa [Mosque] and the Palestinian cause.”
But it appears the Palestinian leader may be behind the 8-ball amid reports that Jerusalem is inching towards inking peace deals with other Gulf States. Bahrain could soon make its largely under-the-radar ties with Israel official — and Morocco might be next. Moreover, US President Donald Trump’s senior adviser, Jared Kushner, said that the normalization of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia was an inevitability.
The ongoing rapprochement between Israel and Gulf states was initially based on the shared interest of curbing Iran’s potential nuclearization and regional expansionism. Now, countries in the region also appear keen to benefit from Israeli ingenuity and innovation.
Notably, the European Union — which has often been critical of Israel’s policies vis-a-vis the Palestinians — came out in favor of the accord, saying it would help to promote stability in the Middle East. By contrast, Iran and Turkey expressed anger, with the latter threatening to cut off relations with Abu Dhabi. For its part, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps described the development as an “evil action” and warned of a “dangerous future” for the UAE.
IDF aircraft bombed several sites belonging to the Hamas terrorist group in the Gaza Strip for a fifth night in a row, amid heightened tensions along the shared border sparked by the renewed flying of incendiary devices from the Palestinian enclave into Israel. On Sunday night, Gaza-based terrorists also fired two rockets towards southern Israel that were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system. Debris from one of the projectiles damaged a home in the city of Sderot.
The incendiary devices — primarily balloons with flammable or explosive materials attached to them — have over the past week caused dozens of fires that destroyed Israeli agricultural land. Meanwhile, it seems that Hamas may also be reinstating weekly protests along the frontier, with the IDF confirming that demonstrators on Saturday night “burned tires, hurled explosive devices and grenades towards the security fence and attempted to approach it.”
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US President Donald Trump said that he intends next week to invoke a clause in the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement — from which he withdrew the US more than two years ago — in an effort to reimpose UN sanctions against Iran. “We’ll be doing a snapback,” the US leader said, even as other parties to the deal contend that Washington has no leverage in this regard due to its nixing of the agreement in May 2018.
The move comes after the UN Security Council rejected the Trump administration’s bid to extend a UN arms embargo on the Islamic Republic set to expire in October in accordance with the nuclear deal.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted: “The Security Council’s failure to act decisively in defense of international peace and security is inexcusable.” He noted that Israel supported the extension along with the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the vote “scandalous” and said that giving carte blanche to Iran to acquire conventional weapons would encourage its aggression in the Middle East.
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New York City Council candidates seeking the support of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) are being asked to not visit Israel if elected.
“Do you pledge not to travel to Israel if elected to [the] City Council in solidarity with Palestinians living under occupation?” reads one question in the DSA’s survey. The other related foreign policy question asks candidates about their support for the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment movement against Israel.
In response, Rep. Max Rose (D-NY) tweeted: “This is anti-semitism. Plain and simple.”
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Antisemitism Watch: A music video released by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ ruling Fatah party threatens to “obliterate whoever approaches my land,” a reference to the possible application of Israeli sovereignty to parts of the West Bank in consonance with the White House’s peace plan.
According to Palestinian Media Watch, the lyrics of the song call for Israel’s hand to be “cut off” in such an eventuality. In the clip, Fatah also vows to “redeem the land with spirit and blood” and “sacrifice souls;” this, while making “Zionists suffer.”
Meanwhile, a Belgian daily is under fire for a cartoon that critics say refers to the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Antwerp as a “Coronavirus Village.” The drawing in Le Soir by artist Pierre Kroll, who has previously been accused of disseminating antisemitic tropes in his work, shows a tour bus under the title “Go Visit Antwerp.” The cartoon includes a stereotypical image of an Orthodox Jewish who is not wearing a face mask. The main text reads: “After the zoo, we’ll go tour ‘Coronavirus Village’.”
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The IDF announced that it has formed a committee to consider allowing women to serve in frontline combat positions, in addition to the mixed-gender light-infantry units into which they are already incorporated. The move was precipitated by a recent High Court of Justice petition, which was submitted by four female teenagers with a view to forcing the Israeli military to permit them to try out for units presently limited to men only. Most units in the IDF are open to both men and women, with the few exceptions being infantry brigades, armored brigades and, among a small number of other roles, various elite reconnaissance teams.
In other IDF-related news, the Israel Air Force (IAF) on Monday will for the first time ever hold a joint drill in Germany. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the exercise in conjunction with the German Air Force will be the only one this year conducted by the IAF outside of Israel’s borders. It is slated take place over a two-week period.
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The “Jewish Netflix” has arrived. ChaiFlicks, which launched last week, is a content-streaming platform comprising Jewish-themed movies and television shows. It thus far offers some 150 titles in its online collection, including feature films, documentaries and other options.
While relatively small in scope, the company is providing something that newer, bigger streaming services like HBO Max and Peacock do not: namely, its content can be accessed through other major providers including Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV. It is also available on both iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as through a desktop version.
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- Rejecting the rejectionists (Ben Cohen, JNS)
- Austrian citizenship will not atone for the repression of Nazism (Roy Goldschlager, Ynet)
