Today’s Top Stories
1. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and other PA religious affairs officials slammed Israeli plans for a mixed-gender prayer section at the Western Wall. The Palestinians insisting the violates the Temple Mount status quo, and is another attempt to “Judaize” Jerusalem.
Speaking of the Temple Mount, Israel police are banning al-Aqsa mosque manager Najah Bacirat from the Temple Mount for six months. According to YNet:
Security officials said Bacirat is considered a radical and inciting figure on the Temple Mount.
His ban is the latest in a series of steps police has recently taken to keep away extremist figures from the complex, including banning the Al-Moravids group and sending calming messages to Jordan that Israel has no intention to change the status quo at the holy site.
This should make anti-Israel feminists happy: Grand Mufti condemns egalitarian prayer section at Western Wall –
– https://t.co/7adBSXWRF1— Dr. Ed Beck (@edwardsbeck) February 2, 2016
2. The US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) says it disrupted a Hezbollah money-laundering network working with Latin American drug cartels. Four Hezbollah operatives were arrested. According to the DEA, Hezbollah used proceeds to fund purchase weapons used in Syria. Several papers cited CNN coverage.
3. Two Gazans were indicted for entering Israel with forged medical documents. One of the two was a 30-year-old member of Hamas. (Related reading: Medical Entry Permits — By the Numbers.)
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
4. A Toxic Echo Chamber: The Guardian now restricts talkbacks on certain topics. What does this say about the paper’s inclusiveness of pro-Israeli views?
5. Peering Through a Distorted World View: The Mideast conflict is viewed through a distorted lens where Palestinian violence is the natural, if not morally justified, response to ‘occupation.’
Israel and the Palestinians
• Police arrested a 14-year-old Palestinian boy stalking a Jewish family in Jerusalem’s Old City. Police found a knife on the boy, who was stopped for acting suspiciously.
• The IDF is preparing to demolish the home of Amjad Sukkari, the Palestinian police officer who opened fire on soldiers at a West Bank checkpoint on Sunday. The army also lifted a partial closure on Ramallah in response to that shooting.
• Jerusalem Post: Diplomatic cables sent in last few days reveal a spike in BDS activity in Europe and the US.
• Jordanian BDS campaign launched against renewed negotiations for Israeli gas imports.
• The Christian Science Monitor continues examining the growing Israeli-Arab middle class with a look at a surge in Arabs working in Israeli health care and what it means.
Around the World
• Do economic troubles leave Jordan vulnerable to Islamic State? And what is Israel doing to help protect the East Bank?
• A French expert on nuclear deterrence, Francois Heisbourg, assessed Iran’s atomic intentions in a Q&A with the Times of Israel.
• Haaretz: After completing an internal probe, Russia assured Israel it isn’t transferring arms to Hezbollah in Syria.
• 60% of Frenchmen believe Jews bear some responsibility for rising anti-Semitism in Europe.
According to French media reports, the 18-month study, which was sponsored by the Fondation du judaïsme français, also found that 56% of Frenchmen believe that Jews have a “lot of power” and are richer than average while more than 40% said that Jews are “a little too present in the media.”
Commentary/Analysis
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Elliott Abrams: Torture in Palestine produces no outrage
– Jonathan Tobin: French set up Obama-Israel fight
– Abdulrahman Al-Rashed: Hamas, Iran, and a leaked telephone call
– Meir Javedanfar: Why Iran’s Khamenei resorts to Holocaust denial
– Dow Marmur: A tough time for Jews in Sweden
– Sherri Markson: Australian Labor Party’s anti-Semitic views behind push for travel ban (click via Google News)
– National Post (staff-ed): Ottawa’s retreat from Israel puts ‘balance’ over ‘fairness’
Image: CC BY-NC Russell Davies;
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