Today’s Top Stories
1. After Israel destroyed Bashar Assad’s nuclear reactor in 2007, he is allegedly trying again: reportedly building a nuclear reactor near the Lebanese border, the Jerusalem Post has reported. In December, PM Netanyahu said:
Let me reiterate Israel’s policy: We will not allow a regime hell-bent on the annihilation of the Jewish state to acquire nuclear weapons. We will not allow that regime to entrench itself militarily in Syria, as it seeks to do, for the express purpose of eradicating our state.
2. In what was termed an anti-Semitic attack, the body of 85 year old holocaust survivor, Mireille K, was found burnt and stabbed in her Paris apartment on Friday night. The BNVCA (French anti-Semitism monitoring bureau) is alleging that it was an anti-Semitic hate crime, reminiscent of Sarah Halimi, who was murdered last April by her Muslim neighbor. 
3. Facebook disabled the account of the Gaza-based news service, Safa, along with the accounts of 10 of its editors. According to the Jerusalem Post, the paper is generally viewed as close to Hamas. Facebook has disabled several Palestinian news sites and leaders’ accounts for allegedly inciting violence against Israelis.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
Israel and the Palestinians
• Iron Dome fired mistakenly in response to a Hamas drill on Sunday. The unnecessary launch of rocket interceptors apparently also triggered missile warning sirens in the areas of Hof Ashkelon and Shaar Hanegev on Sunday night.
• A Jewish shrine in West Bank was defaced with swastikas. The tomb of Caleb ben Yefuna, one of the 12 biblical spies, located in the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris, northwest of the Ariel settlement. Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council called for condemnation:
I expect a serious investigation of the matter, just like when Muslim or Christian holy sites are defaced, I expect the government and the prime minister to condemn it and find a solution to the situation that will ensure that Jewish historical holy sites that were preserved for thousands of years are not damaged.
• The IDF and Knesset members are at odds over the number of Palestinians living in the West Bank. The Jerusalem Post picks up on the “demographic debate” and why it matters.
• Fourteen months after the evacuation of Amona, a settlement in the West Bank considered to be illegal, 25 families are expected to move to the new Amichai settlement that was established for them by the government marking the first government-sanctioned settlement in 25 years. Chairman of the Binyamin Regional Council Avi Roeh said:
Just before Passover, we’re excited to see Amichai—created by the Israeli government—being populated. Amona residents will get to celebrate their Seder in their new home, God willing.
• Air India flights to Tel Aviv now have Saudi overflight rights. But El Al is irate about Saudi discrimination. If other airlines get permission to cross Saudi skies, where does that leave Israel’s national carrier? The Times of Israel discussed the situation with El Al executive Michael Strassburger.
Window into Israel
• Police investigating the “Bezeq affair” questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara, and his son Yair for four hours today. Netanyahu is suspected of offering Bezeq regulatory benefits in exchange for positive coverage on a prominent news site owned by Bezeq’s majority shareholder, Shaul Elovitch. The PM denies the accusations. More at Ynet and the Jerusalem Post.
• Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat announced a Knesset bid, saying he won’t seek third term as mayor in October municipal elections. City council member Moshe Lion, who previously ran against Barkat, threw his hat in the ring as has Deputy Mayor Meir Turgeman, who was arrested on corruption charges last week. Cabinet member Zeev Elkin, who serves as Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, is also reportedly mulling a run. More at the Times of Israel and Haaretz.
• Israel to unveil plan for long-delayed egalitarian mixed prayer space at the Western Wall. According to Lesley Sachs, director of the feminist Women of the Wall prayer group:
We went into negotiations with the government in good faith and were willing to give up a lot, but if what they’re going to offer us now is just crumbs, then our response will be ‘thanks, but no thanks,’ and we will continue to hold our monthly prayer service in the women’s section of the wall, as we always have.
Around the World
• Trinity College Dublin students endorse boycott of Israel.
• The antisemitism row has deepened as Jewish leaders brand Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as “hostile”. A demonstration organised by the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council will be held this evening at Parliament Square in London to raise awareness.
Commentary/Analysis
•The Untold Story: The Israel Air Force Attack on the Syrian Nuclear Reactor – Tal Giladi
•Why Assad Won’t Retaliate and the Message Sent to Iran – Ron Ben-Yishai
• The Arab World Silently Celebrates Israel’s 2007 Destruction of Syrian Nuclear Reactor – Prof. Eyal Zisser
• Report: Equal number of Jews, Muslims live from river to the sea – Ynet
Featured image: CC BY-NC-ND greenzowie; facebook by Max Pixel Creative Commons Zero – CC0; Iron dome by Israel Defence Forces; Amona by Yaakov via wikimedia: Women of the wall by Yochi Rappeport via wikimedia
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
Before you comment on this article, please remind yourself of our Comments Policy. Any comments deemed to be in breach of the policy will be removed at the editor’s discretion.
