Today’s Top Stories
1. Leaders of Jerusalem’s Christian denominations closed the Church of Holy Sepulcher indefinitely to protest plans by the Jerusalem municipality to collect property taxes from church-owned commercial properties and businesses, and also Knesset legislation that would impact the ability of churches to sell land.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built on the site where Christians believe Jesus was crucified.
Mayor Nir Barkat defended the taxes, saying that places of worship would continue not to be taxed, but that church-owned businesses didn’t get the same exemption:
Barkat says the churches owed some NIS 650 million in back taxes
“I’m not prepared for Jerusalem’s residents to have to shoulder these huge sums,” he says.
Shortly before this roundup was published, a Knesset committee delayed today’s debate on the bill on church land sales.
2. The US State Department confirmed that it will open a US Embassy in Jerusalem this coming May to dovetail with Israel’s 70th anniversary. The Times of Israel explains:
The official said, “The Embassy will initially be located in Arnona [in south Jerusalem], on a compound that currently houses the consular operations of Consulate General Jerusalem. At least initially, it will consist of the Ambassador and a small team.” . . .
The date of the move is seen as largely symbolic, as the logistics of a permanent relocation are expected to take much longer. Most of the embassy staff could continue to operate from Tel Aviv during the early stages.
More on the development below.
3. Russia deployed advanced stealth jets in Syria with warning aimed at Israel.
The deployment came with a covert warning to Israel by a Russian official, who said that the presence of the Su-57s will doubtlessly send a political message, serving as a deterrent “for aircraft from neighboring states, which periodically fly into Syrian airspace uninvited.”
#ISI reveals the first deployment of two #Russian stealth fighters #SU-57, as can be seen in Eros-B #satellite imagery from yesterday pic.twitter.com/SoOEhhpe0R
— ImageSat Intl. (@ImageSatIntl) February 24, 2018
Israel and the Palestinians
• Officials in Foggy Bottom are considering a $500 million offer from billionaire casino magnate and newspaper publisher Sheldon Adelson to contribute for the relocation.
• The Palestinians are especially irked with the embassy move’s timing. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place on May 14 (Israel’s Independence Day according to the English calendar) and not on April 18 (Israel’s Independence Day according to the Hebrew calendar). The Los Angeles Times explains the opening will coincide with the Palestinian “Naqba Day.”
For Palestinians, who mark their national days according to the Gregorian calendar, May is not a festive month. And to complicate things further, Palestinians observe the day of catastrophe on May 15, the first day of the new state’s existence rather than May 14, the day independence was declared.
May 14th 1948, President Truman recognizes Israel.
May 14th 2018, @POTUS Trump will move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.
70 years apart.Two historic decisions. One united capital.
????
— Amb. Ron Dermer (@AmbDermer) February 23, 2018
• An Amnesty International report claims Israel “kills” and “tortures” Palestinian children.
• Jewish worshipers find swastikas defacing tomb of the Prophet Joshua in northern West Bank.
• Amid energy crisis, Gaza might dump raw sewage into the Mediterranean Sea.
Police Probing PM
• According to the most recent poll, 50 percent of Israelis would like to see Netanyahu resign. It also found that if elections were held today, the Likud Party would still get a strong 27 Knesset seats.
• A few commentaries of interest.
– David Horovitz: Why the choice between Netanyahu and the rule of law is no choice at all
– Yaakov Katz: Can Israel remain strong and stable after Netanyahu?
– Caroline Glick: Defending the rule of law
– Bret Stephens: Don’t count Bibi out — yet
– Amos Harel: The return of the submarines
– Jerusalem Post (staff-ed): Appoint a foreign minister
Around the World
• Omar Barghouti, founder of anti-Israel BDS, was invited to address an upcoming European Union parliament conference, the European Jewish News reports. And Jewish groups are protesting.
The conference, titled “The Israeli Settlement in Palestine and the European Union” is to be held on February 28. It I organized by Portuguese MEP Ana Gomes, a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
Omar Barghouti repeatedly compares the state of Israel to the Nazi regime. His BDS movement calls for a total economic, cultural and academic boycott of Israel and doesn’t work towards peace.
• Polish government freezes enforcing contentious new Holocaust law “until Poland’s constitutional court reaches a decision on the legislation.”
• Despite opposition from Dutch lawmakers, Palestinian ex-terrorist Rasmea Odeh, who was recently deported from the US, was invited to speak in Amsterdam.
• A city council in metropolitan Barcelona invalidated a December decision to join the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
• State of Ohio reaches record $200 million in Israel bonds.
• Protesters disrupt Jewish student meeting at University of Virginia. Details on the incident and the administration’s response at the Cavalier Daily and Washington Post.
• U.California-Irvine review clears pro-Israel student group accused of harassing pro-Palestinian group.
It is understood Mr Livingstone will face a fresh investigation by the National Executive Committee (NEC) when it meets in March and he will not be reinstated until that is resolved. His suspension from the party is due to expire in April.
• The Jerusalem Post reports renewed efforts to restore and save the tomb of the Biblical prophet Nahum in northern Iraq.
The tomb of the Prophet Nahum lies in the ancient Christian town of Al-Qosh overlooking Nineveh Plains. Nahum was one of the minor prophets who predicted the destruction of the city of Nineveh located in the outskirts of modern-day Mosul. The tomb is on the border between the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Mosul.
Commentary/Analysis
• In the weekend’s lead screed, Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat got op-ed space in the Irish Times to weigh in on the sales of settlement products in Ireland and Europe.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Herb Keinon: Why is the US speeding up its Jerusalem embassy move?
– Joschka Fischer: Syrian time bomb ticking towards Israel-Iran war
– Gerald Steinberg: Why Israel must respond to Iranian aggression with disproportionate force
– Seth Siegel: Cape Town may dry up because of an aversion to Israel (click via Twitter)
– Ben-Dror Yemini: An auto-anti-Semitic abomination
– Jonathan Tobin: What we thought of the Rev. Billy Graham
– Toronto Star (staff-ed): Poland must face up to its history, not shut down debate
Featured image: CC BY-ND x1klima; Church of the Holy Sepulchre CC BY-NC Dirk Dallas; Netanyahu via YouTube/IsraeliPM; Barghouti via YouTube/BDS Norge; Livingstone via YouTube/RT UK; thoughts CC BY-SA Wikimedia Commons;
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
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