Dozens Killed In Suspected Syrian Chemical Attack

Today’s Top Stories

*** Breaking news *** Just before this roundup was published, there were breaking reports of IDF tanks firing in the Gaza Strip in response to three suspects crossing the border fence.

1. “Reports and footage pouring in after a deadly chemical attack in Syria killed dozens showed children with foam around their mouths and entire families “gassed to death” in the rebel-held town of Douma.” Most recent reports say the death toll could surpass 100.

Israeli officials are calling on the US to strike Syria, while the IDF’s former intelligence chief Amos Yadlin urged the Trump administration to ground all the regime’s helicopters used to drop the barrel bombs and chemical weapons.

2. According to Israeli media reports, Syrian President Bashar Assad has sent soldiers and heavy artillery into the demilitarized zone along the Israeli-Syrian border ahead of an offensive against rebels in the Syrian side of the Golan.

The step violates the Agreement on Disengagement signed in 1974 between Israel and Syria, which concluded the Yom Kippur War . . .

Since most [UN monitors] have been moved out of Syria due to the bloody war and are now watching at a safe distance from Israel, it is unclear if the international body can force the Assad regime to halt its military presence in the buffer zone.

See related commentary by Amos Harel.

3. Clashes between Palestinians and IDF forces continued along the Gaza border over the weekend. The Times of Israel reported that 20,000 Palestinians participated in Friday’s demonstration — down from 30,000 the previous week, with many burning tires, and throwing rocks or firebombs at soldiers.

The IDF released video footage of Gazans attempting to breach or target the fence under cover of huge plumes of black smoke caused by the burning of tires close to the border, and Israeli television showed footage of what appeared to be teenage Gazans rolling tires close to the border fence.

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official suggested to the Times of Israel that if Israel boosted the Strip’s economy, Hamas would curtail the protests.

He said Israel could authorize large-scale exports from Gaza, increase the number of tradespeople allowed to travel from the Strip to Israel and the West Bank, and expand the maritime fishing zone.

Israel and the Palestinians

• Among the nine Palestinians killed in Friday’s clashes was photojournalist Yasser Murtaja, who the army said had operated a drone near soldiers. One photographer who was with Murtaja told Reuters that Murtaja was not operating a drone at the time while The Guardian quoted another photographer saying that Murtaja “had been standing with him about 100 metres from the border fence when he decided to go into the smoke to get a better shot.”

The army said it is investigating.

#Gaza border clashes & drones: Last 2 yrs #Israeli security nabbed #Hamas shipments smuggling "commercial drones of various sizes from multiple different brands, & all of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) featured hi-quality on-board cameras" #YaserMurtaja had to be suspected. pic.twitter.com/IDr0q5rmLi

— Lenny Ben-David (@lennybendavid) April 8, 2018

• The Egyptians and Saudis are trying to calm the Palestinians, according to Arab reports picked up by the Jerusalem Post:

An Egyptian Foreign Ministry official was anonymously quoted as saying that, in exchange for halting the protests, Egypt would ensure that the Rafah border crossing, which Egypt controls, would be regularly opened. The source said that the agreement had come under the direction of the Saudis.

• One unarmed Palestinian who managed to cross the border was arrested by the IDF.

• Hamas was accused of jailing bus drivers refusing to take Gazans to the border clashes.

• This swastika made for one of the more telling images:

Hamas is a genocidal terrorist organization. Seen today in #GazaReturnMarch. pic.twitter.com/iG4OhQPnVj

— LTC (R) Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) April 6, 2018

• Israel foiled a sophisticated terror plot on the seas thanks to the navy’s arrest of an Islamic Jihad operative. The plan was to use a Palestinian fishing boat as a lure in order for Palestinians on a second ship to fire a Kornet anti-tank rocket while a third boat would kidnap Israelis surviving the attack.

The navy netted Amin Saadi Muhammad Jumaa while he was surveilling their patrols. More at the Times of Israel and Ynet.

• A Palestinian stabbing attempt thwarted near the West Bank settlement of Mishor Adumim on Sunday afternoon.

Around the World

• Israelis barred entrance to Tunisian taekwondo World Junior Championships

• A number of German diplomats hiding behind a reporter’s shield of anonymity defended Kuwait Airways’ discriminatory policy of ‘no Israelis allowed.’

• Variety: Top Hollywood executives signed a letter supporting Netflix after threats from BDS over distribution of the Israeli TV drama, “Fauda.” More at the JTA.

The show focuses on a commando unit of the Israeli Defense Forces whose members embed themselves in the Palestinian community, gathering intelligence and preventing terror attacks. Fauda is an Arabic word meaning “chaos.” The show incorporates both Arabic and Hebrew dialogue. It airs on Netflix with English subtitles. Netflix is set to release the second season of the series next month.

• BDSniks are celebrating after Russian punk group Pussy Riot cancelled a Tel Aviv concert. The band didn’t disclose the reasons why, but its Israeli publicist told the Jerusalem Post it was for technical and not political reasons.

• Latin America’s largest airline to begin direct flights between Sao Paulo and Tel Aviv by the end of 2018.

• BDS calls on Argentina’s national soccer team to cancel upcoming friendly match in Israel. This could turn into a Messi situation.

• The UK Labour party is sharply divided over antisemitism claims, according to leaked minutes obtained by the Guardian. Meanwhile, in yet another antisemitism row, a Labour councillor could be suspended after activists ‘reveal Facebook posts claiming he voted against a new Marks and Spencer because it was funding Zionist regime,’ the Daily Mail reports.

Commentary

• Plenty of commentary on the Gaza situation:

– Khaled Abu Toameh: West Bank’s apathy amid Gaza chaos shows Palestinians becoming a divided people
– Avi Issacharoff: For Hamas, Gaza marches have scored some undeniable wins
– Vivian Bercovici: No country would tolerate what Hamas is doing at Israel’s border
– Alex Fishman: Gaza protests: When there’s smoke, there’s fire
– Eli Lake: Palestinian casualties are no accident for Hamas
– Daniel Siryoti: Hamas doesn’t know when to fold
– Hussein Ibish: The nonviolent violence of Hamas
– Yoav Limor: A slippery security slope

• For a sense of what the critics are saying, see Saree Makdisi, Diana Buttu and Yousef Munayyer.

• Here’s what else I’m reading this weekend:

– Robert Philpot: For most in Labour, anti-Semitism charges are bogus, Israel is a force for bad
– Howard Jacobson: ‘Jews know what antisemitism is and what it isn’t. To invent it would be a sacrilege’
– Daniel Hannan: Anti-Semitism on the Left is nothing new. It has a long and cruel history

Yesterday my friend Margot tried to post Howard Jacobson's article about Labour antisemitism on Labour Party Forum. She said that this is a real problem, not a smear to bring down Corbyn. She was called a pro-Israel plant & has today been expelled from the group. #EnoughIsEnough

— Gillian Lazarus (@GillianLazarus) April 8, 2018

– Benny Avni: Why the new Saudi ruler should go to Jerusalem
– Shlomo Avineri: The dangerous game of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince

Featured image: CC BY-NC-SA xeeliz; Messi via YouTube/Messi Magic;

For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.

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