Today’s Top Stories
1. A months-long Israel-Brazil standoff came to an end when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Dani Dayan will be appointed consul-general in New York. Brasilia refused to confirm Dayan, a former settler leader, as ambassador. He will instead replace outgoing consul-general Ido Aharoni.
No word on who’s in the mix to for ambassador to Brasilia. Israel’s top representative in Brazil is currently Dorin Goren, consul-general in Sao Paulo.
2. The Israeli High Court of Justice shot down a deal to develop Israel’s offshore natural gas reserves, giving the government one year to come up with an alternative arrangement with the Houston-based Noble Energy and the Israel-based Delek Group. More at the New York Times and the Times of Israel.
Supporters of the gas deal say the court’s ruling harms development and Israel’s strategic standing; critics say the deal is too favorable to the business. Maybe they’re both right?
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
3. Dozens of terror attacks in Europe thwarted, say officials.
In the U.K., at least seven terror plots were stopped. In Germany, at least one was thwarted. Belgian authorities foiled numerous plots, and French authorities tell NBC that they have foiled dozens more, including one Thursday.
4. HonestReporting CEO Joe Hyams appeared at a panel discussion at the Yedioth Ahronoth/YNet conference on fighting BDS in Jerusalem. @HonestReporting tweeted from the conference.
https://twitter.com/EylonALevy/status/714436624130711552
Israel and the Palestinians
• Britain denied a Mail on Sunday report accusing the government of funding Palestinian terrorists.
• Egypt and Hamas are resuming talks to reopen the Rafah border.
• Emily Harris of NPR takes a nice followup look at SodaStream and who is exactly is responsible for 500 Palestinians losing their jobs when the factory relocated from the West Bank to the Negev.
• Israel and China to sign 10-year multiple entry visa deal. The Times of Israel explains that only the US and Canada have such an agreement with China. Here’s why it matters:
The deal, which will be signed by Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely and her Chinese counterpart, will allow Israeli businesspeople and tourists to enter China multiple times with the same visa, which will be valid for a decade. The same will apply for Chinese citizens visiting Israel, an arrangement which Jerusalem hopes will help increase tourism.
Around the World
• Islamic State jihadis in the Sinai are reportedly planning a major attack on Eilat.
• Israel advises its citizens to leave Turkey immediately due to terror threats
• Al-Qaida acquired advanced surface to air missiles, and the jihadis are using them in Yemen. The Independent reports that one Emirati fighter jet has been already shot down, apparently by a Russian-made SA-7 also known as a Strela.
• The New York Daily News raises questions about the prestigious Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s support for groups that encourage or participate in the BDS movement.
• Three superheroes and BDS idiocy make for Yair Rosenberg‘s tweet of the day.
Some people hate Batman vs. Superman b/c it's a terrible movie. Others hate it b/c there's an Israeli Jew in it. pic.twitter.com/WmNe7eaXK8
— Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg) March 27, 2016
Commentary/Analysis
• Must read: Lebanese-American psychologist Dr. Carol Jahshan visited Israel. She was blown away by the openness and humanity of Israeli society. See her Reflections of a Lebanese Woman in Israel.
I see that there is tremendous decency in Israeli society, that there are people who I really, deeply like, with whom I have common interests and ideas. People who want to live peacefully, do their art, their science, their jobs, raise their children and see them happy. People I can genuinely relate to.
Some Arabs may view me as a traitor and in fact, I have already been called one. But my loyalty is to decency and to people living the best lives they possibly can, rather than to being on one side or another of a fight. I am grateful for the experience I had and am a better informed person as a result.
• Dovetailing with a Yedioth Ahronoth/YNet conference on fighting BDS, YNet published an op-ed by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on the issue.
Yet it’s important to clarify – not all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitism, and not all international pressure on Israel is a boycott. Criticism comes of concern and even the necessity to keep Israel strong. When friendly countries criticize us, I quite often find this criticism to be unjustified, but as a man who loves the Land of Israel, I don’t think that everyone who criticizes Israel – for instance on the matter of Judaea and Samaria – is causing de-legitimization to Israel.
Anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism are the complete opposite of criticism – they use criticism in order to reject the right of the State of Israel to exist and to reject the Jewish people’s right have their own state.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Moshe Arens: Golan Druze are settling down to the reality of staying in Israel
– Norman Bailey: Cheers for Israeli diplomacy
– Yoram Schweitzer, Oded Eran: Dealing with terror without falling into its trap
Featured image: CC BY Jon S with additions by HonestReporting; China CC BY-NC-ND Steve Webel;
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