Today’s Top Stories
1. The Times of Israel and Ynet takes a closer look at what’s known about head of the Turkish government’s humanitarian aid organization in Gaza who was arrested by Israel for working for Hamas.
For a “humanitarian aid” official, you have wonder about Muhammad Murtaja’s expertise in manufacturing advanced explosives.
Among other things, it turned out that in the past two years, Hamas asked the Turkish IHH organization for advanced mapping programs to improve rocket attacks on the Israeli home front, and especially on strategic sites . . .
Murtaja said that he was supposed to fly to Turkey to receive a disk-on-key intended for Hamas, which consisted of improved and elaborately detailed maps of various sites in Israel, which were based on Turkish technological data acquired following Turkey’s involvement in the satellite launch project.
Murtaja said in his interrogation that he witnessed the transfer of suitcases laden with cash from the IHH organization in Turkey (which was responsible for the Gaza flotilla) to senior Hamas officials, including senior Hamas operative Raed Salah, Ismail Radwan and Ismail Haniyeh.
This case is unusual compared to previous similar affairs, since this time, [Murtaja] was groomed in the military wing, trained with the regiments of the Shati refugee camp and operated alongside the battalion commanders. As an engineer, he became an expert on TNT and the manufacturing of advanced explosives and explosive devices.
2. Pass the popcorn: Iran accuses Russia of giving Israel codes for Syrian air defenses.
According to the source, Damascus and Tehran “were shocked” every time the Russian-made air defense system did not work to defend Syria’s airspace, or even give notification that the air space had been penetrated in order to evacuate outposts prior to the airstrike.
3. The Jerusalem Post reports that Iran is accused of tracking, and possibly planning an attack on the head of French-Israel business group and other prominent European Jews.
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Israel and the Palestinians
• Syrian rebels report Wednesday morning Israeli airstrikes near Damascus.
• The IDF fired artillery at three Palestinians suspiciously approaching the Gaza border fence. One, who was 18 was killed while the other two were wounded. It wasn’t clear why they entered a no-go area towards the Israeli border. Ynet reports that army investigators want to determine whether the three sought to plant an explosive device. Reuters points out this:
No Palestinian militant group claimed the men as members, a sign, local residents said, that the three may have been trying to cross into Israel under the cover of darkness to seek work.
• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had an anti-Israel exhibition removed from the organization’s New York headquarters, Israel HaYom reports.
The showing included paintings with slogan reading “Free Palestine” scribbled alongside the image of an Israeli soldier shooting at civilians while the Palestinian flag is waving in the background; as well as a Palestinian girl, frightened by Israeli fighter jets. The exhibition also featured cartoons of U.S. President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
• Kuwait’s trying to get the Knesset expelled from the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a Geneva-based organization that fosters contacts and coordination among parliaments and parliamentarians around the world. According to the Jerusalem Post, Kuwait unsuccessfully sought to out the Knesset from the IPU last year.
• Micah Avni and Arnold Roth, who lost loved ones to Palestinian terror attacks, spoke out against two recent outrages:
– Bereaved son slams terrorist’s father UN speech.
– Father of Jerusalem bombing victim vows to keep pushing for terrorist’s extradition.
Around the World
• Former UN human rights official Richard Falk — an anti-Semite, Israel-basher, and conspiracy theorist — is leaving a trail of chaos as he visits British campuses to plug his latest book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Middlesex U. cancelled one speaking appearance citing safety concerns while things got ugly during his visit to the London School of Economics (see David Collier‘s eyewitness account). And a pro-Israel professor withdrew from a contentious conference at Ireland’s University College Cork after learning Falk was invited to give a keynote address.
Gotta love this Times of Israel headline: In Britain, protesters shut the Falk up
• Upcoming German BDS events featuring well-known anti-Semitic speakers were cancelled in Bonn and Frankfurt.
• Ohio State Hillel drops Jewish LGBT group for co-sponsoring event by pro-BDS group.
• A Minnesota public high school has been rented out for a “Palestine Day” event featuring a speaker whose organizers and speakers have expressed support for terrorism against Israel, according to The Algemeiner.
• In a demonstration of solidarity against hate, hundreds of people gathered outside Virginia Tech University’s Chabad house after dozens of swastika-emblazoned leaflets were found littering the student center’s front lawn. Blacksburg police are investigating.
• Toronto hate crimes increase, with Jews targeted the most.
• The Nieman Lab picked up on a study that says a lot about fake news, as well as the news bubbles and echo chambers we create for ourselves on social media. People increasingly trust news based on the person who shared it, not on who published it.
“People are often not aware of how much they are influenced by the identity of the sharer,” the researchers write . . .
In light of growing concerns about “fake news” spreading on social media, this experiment confirms that people make little distinction between known and unknown (even made-up) sources when it comes to trusting and sharing news. Even 19 percent of people who saw our fictional news source would have been willing to recommend it to a friend.
Commentary/Analysis
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Giora Eiland: In its talks with Trump administration, Israel must focus on Syrian arena
– Amos Harel: At risk of angering Russia, Israel works to keep Iran away from its border
– Benny Avni: Team Trump is already kicking butt at the United Nations
– Gil Troy: An open letter to anti-intellectual, anti-Semitic anti-Zionists
Featured image: CC BY Nicolas Alejandro; Knesset CC BY israeltourism; Falk via UN Photo/JC McIlwaine; cobweb CC0 Pixabay/Geralt;
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