Today’s Top Stories
1. UN Human Rights Council passed five Israel-bashing resolutions, including a call for an arms embargo on the Jewish state. This AP headline says it all:
UN rights council scorecard: 5 Israel resolutions, Syria 2
When the Human Rights Council treats Israel worse than North Korea, Iran, and Syria, it is the Council itself that is foolish and unworthy of its name.
More at the Jerusalem Post.
2. An Israeli-bound Air India flight crossed Saudi skies for the first time. Reuters notes that other airlines may soon get similar flyover rights:
Israel’s Tourism Minister on Thursday called the maiden Air India flight a diplomatic achievement and said he has been in negotiations to open similar flights with Singapore Airlines and a carrier from the Philippines, which he did not name.
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3. Congress passed the Taylor Force Act as part of $1.3 trillion budget bill. The Act reduces aid to the PA as long as it continues providing stipends to imprisoned terrorists and the families of dead attackers, such as those who killed American veteran and West Point grad Taylor Force on his visit to Israel. The PA denounced the act’s passage. HR’s Daniel Pomerantz discussed the topic on i24 News:
Israel and the Palestinians
• Ahed Tamimi to serve eight months in prison as part of a plea deal. Tamimi’s mother and cousin also agreed to similar plea deals. Haaretz reports:
According to one source, the punishment in Ahed Tamimi’s case is not considered particularly lenient or particularly severe. The Israeli military felt the need to end the legal matter, the source said, as it damaged the army’s reputation in the media and internationally, which may be why the plea bargain was intensively promoted.
• The IDF confirmed carrying out Saturday night air strikes on Gaza after “four Palestinians attempted to cross the border fence between the Strip and Israeli territory and set fire to an engineering vehicle.”
Earlier today 4 #Palestinians crossed into #Israel from southern #GazaStrip & tried to set fire to some of machinery used to build #Israel’s underground barrier. All 4 fled back to #Hamas-run enclave after they were engaged by the #IDF pic.twitter.com/GDu9t3l60V
— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) March 24, 2018
•PA unilaterally applies for membership in eight international treaties.
Israel has presented ample evidence that U.N. and UNRWA facilities were used by Hamas to hide weapons and launch rockets at Israel. The Secretariat, however, has made no attempt to demand similar restitution from the terrorist group that controls Gaza.
Commentary
– Bassam Tawil: Palestinians tortured; media silent
– Amos Harel: Israel gears up for large-scale clashes along Gaza border
– Yoni Ben-Menachem: The Hamas response to Mahmoud Abbas’ threatened sanctions
– Yaakov Katz: Imagine a world in which Syria had its nuclear reactor today
– Amos Yadlin: The Begin doctrine: The lessons of Osirak and Deir ez-Zor
– Jonathan Tobin: What Syria doesn’t teach us about Iran
– Toby Young: If Corbyn wins, emigrating to Israel is my clear escape route
– Makvan Kasheikal: Time for the West to follow Israel’s example with the Kurds
– Simon Griver: Putting BDS into perspective
– Stephen Pollard: There is only one word for Jeremy Corbyn
Featured image: CC BY-NC Kent Landerholm;
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