BDS ‘Down in Flames’ at Methodist Conference

Today’s Top Stories

1. At the United Methodist Church’s General Conference, a series of pro-BDS resolutions “went down in flames,” the Religion News Service reports.

2. The death of Mustafa Badreddine is exposing a rift between Hezbollah and Iran. Hezbollah followers believe he was killed by an ally, and not by Syrian rebels. And one fighter’s comments to NOW Lebanon suggest Hezbollah personnel in Syria aren’t getting along so well with the Iranians:

When Hezbollah announced the results of the investigation into Badreddine’s death on Saturday, no one believed them. Their own supporters did not believe it and they are still asking questions. No one is convinced that Badreddine died in battle like any other soldier because they all know how careful the commander used to travel around. They know that Hezbollah is lying. But whoever was behind the assassination, this mood of doubt and suspicion has brought to the surface concerns that Hezbollah and the Lebanon’s Shiite community possess about Iran, their main ally and patron in Syria.

 

There are fears among the Shiite community that Badreddine could have been assassinated by an ally. At the beginning, Shiite fingers were pointing at three suspects: the Syrian regime, who could have given his details to either Israel or the “takfiris”; the Russians, who may have had beef with Badreddine himself; or the Iranians, who are desperate to open a new page with the West. But word on the street today is that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is to blame . . .

 

As for working with the Iranians in Syria, Komeil says they’re cheap and arrogant. “Many of our fighters refuse to cooperate with the Iranians. They’re asking us to die for them and I don’t want to sacrifice myself for anyone. Sometimes I feel I’m fighting alongside enemies who do not care if I am dead.”

3. The French conference of international diplomats to discuss ways to move Israeli-Palestinian peace talks forward has been delayed to accommodate John Kerry, who had a scheduling conflict.

The powwow originally set for May 30, will is now take place in the summer, French President Francois Hollande said. Neither Israel or the Palestinians have been invited, and Jerusalem opposes the French initiative.

Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reports that the PA seeks the conference to set a deadline for Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank.

4. FT: Only Israel to Blame for 2014 Peace Talks Collapse: Why did peace talks fail in 2014? According to the Financial Times, it was all Israel’s fault.

5. Real People Real Stories Part 2: The Death of Shahar Melamed: In part two of a three-part series, Miri Bachar shares the story of her uncle, who was killed by a Hamas mortar shell in front of his family during the 2014 Gaza war.

Israel and the Palestinians

• Israel has quietly allowed a growing number of Jordanians to work in minimum wage jobs in Eilat hotels. Judging from the Washington Post, it’s a win-win development:

“It has made my life,” said Ahmed Riashi, 25, who washes dishes at Isrotel’s Royal Garden Hotel.

 

He previously worked as a waiter at a five-star hotel in Amman, the Jordanian capital.

 

He estimates that his wages have doubled in Israel. He is saving; he feels he is going somewhere.

 

“I was surprised, in a good way, when I arrived here,” Riashi said.

 

He said Jewish Israelis are surprised, too, to see a Jordanian — then want to take a selfie together.

• Palestinians claim Amman has clamped down on special transfer visas allowing Gazans to leave the Strip via Israel and Jordan. Haaretz writes:

Palestinian government officials are aware of the problem, but have not received any official explanation for the toughening of Jordanian policy. But sources in Ramallah say that one reason is Amman’s unwillingness to bear the brunt of Egypt’s decision to keep the Rafah crossing closed. Palestinian sources also point to diplomatic tensions between Jordan and the Palestinian Authority over the past few months.

 

It should be noted that during that time, Israel has been making exceptions with respect to its regulations and has allowed up to 100 Gazans per week to enter Israel and traverse the West Bank, so they can cross into Jordan to proceed elsewhere. These are primarily students and businessmen who have a visa to a third country or a foreign passport. According to Human Rights Watch, Jordan has been allowing such people to enter the country.

 

But in general, there has been a sharp increase in the number of persons being refused visas by Amman.

Jordanian officials told AP there have been no changes in policy.

• The Palestinian Museum is now open to visitors, though there are no exhibits for anyone to see. For now,  admission’s free of charge, the New York Times reports.

The long-planned — and much-promoted — inaugural show, “Never Part,” highlighting artifacts of Palestinian refugees, has been suspended after a disagreement between the museum’s board and its director, which led to the director’s ouster. President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and other dignitaries are expected to attend the opening ceremony, but a spokeswoman acknowledged on Sunday that “there will not be any artwork exhibited in the museum at all.”

https://twitter.com/TomJamesWilson/status/732503340148367360

• Worth watching: In separate videos, Ambassadors Mark Regev and Ron Dermer discussed the distinctions between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.

Around the World

• Hezbollah appointed Mustafa Mughniyeh as its top military commander following the death of his uncle, Mustafa Badreddine, according to Asharq al-Awsat. He’s the son of Imad Mughniyeh, Hezbollah’s previous top military commander. See YNet for more background.

• Now why would anyone think that France is engineering a misguided international conference about a pesky conflict?

• Organizers of Detroit‘s Walk for Israel spurned sponsorship offers from several left-wing Jewish groups over their support for boycotting settlements. Sponsorship would allow organizations like Partners for Progressive Israel and Americans for Peace Now to present materials and “maintain a visible presence during the walk.”

Commentary/Analysis

• The Ohio legislature’s mulling an anti-BDS bill similar to ones passed in other states. A staff-ed in the Columbus Dispatch opposes it.

• Watch South African MP Kenneth Meshoe debunk the claim that Israel is an apartheid state (via IsraellyCool).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtKG4HAx66E

• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .

– Ben-Dror Yemini: The French peace initiative is doomed to fail
– Yaakov Amidror: No to unilateral measures
– Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinians: The “battle for succession”
– John Hannah: For Mideast peace, look to Israel’s Arab partners
– Tariq Alhomayed: Hezbollah – What a blow!
– Guy Milliere: Time to leave UNESCO

Featured image: CC BY NASA Goddard Space Flight Center via flickr with additions by HonestReporting; funeral via YouTube/Madad Shah; Eilat CC BY Israeltourism;

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

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