Today’s Top Stories
1. Today’s main story was the release of Israel’s report on Operation Protective Edge and upcoming release of the UN Human Rights Council’s report (any day now). While Bloomberg News coverage suffices, one Israeli lawmaker who accompanied Israelis to testify to the Schabas commission in Geneva told Israel media he was stunned by the questions investigators posed.
“It is truly ignorance,” Jelin said. “I felt that they were asking questions that were utterly disconnected from reality. It shows the enormous gap that exists between what they know and think and the truth.”
Meanwhile, William Schabas discussed the upcoming UN report with Israel’s Channel 2.
Last, but not least, see HonestReporting’s Three Media Angles to Beware Ahead of the Schabas Report’s Release. Here’s what you need to know.
2. Does Israel plan to create a buffer zone to protect Syrian Druze? That’s what i24 News reports, citing a YNet story (that isn’t online) which in turn cited Israel’s Walla News (in Hebrew).
A diplomatic source told Walla that “there is no intention to ignore the possibility of a massacre against the Druze.” Several weeks ago a senior Israeli military official, briefing reporters, also said “Israel would not stand idle if it sees a massacre.”
Last week, at least 20 Druze were massacred in the northwest Syrian town of Qalb Lawzah by the Al Qaida-affiliated Nusra Front. In an unusual step, the Nusra Front apologized, which has Yossi Melman‘s antennae twitching.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Druze community raised $2.6 million for their Syrian brethren to buy arms and other necessities.
3. Haaretz: French officials are investigating the Louvre Museum for illegally discriminating against a group of Israeli art history students from Tel Aviv University who sought to arrange a tour of the Paris museum.
After being turned down, Hendler attempted to make arrangements for a visit on the same dates and times, using names of fictitious educational institutions from Italy and Abu Dhabi in the Persian Gulf – and was told that space was available.
Israel and the Palestinians
• New York Times coverage of Israel’s Gaza report was a little prickly. Despite international demands that Israel conduct a thorough and transparent investigation, Jodi Rudoren put it in the context of a propaganda exercise:
Mr. Netanyahu suggested instead that people read the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s 280-page study of the operation, or one produced over the weekend by five former generals from other countries. They are among a dozen in-depth reviews by human rights organizations, pro-Israel advocacy groups and Israel’s military promoted in recent months as an intense propaganda war continues long after the last bombs were dropped.
• Israel refuses entry to the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Makarim Wibisono. He’s not attached to the UN Human Rights Council, rather, Wibisono reports directly to the UN General Assembly, and he’s working on his own report on Israeli human rights violations in the Palestinian areas. Just to be clear on why Israel’s not cooperating, the Jerusalem Post adds:
Israel remains the only country for which a special investigator is permanently assigned.
• US trade bills seek to halt boycotts of Israel. YNet updates the latest from Capitol Hill.
• NPR takes a nice look at an Israeli company opening a desalination plant in San Diego.
Around the World
• Iranian hackers continue their ongoing attacks on Israeli targets. YNet picked up on the findings of ClearSky, an Israeli cyber security firm.
• Iran brought home from Syria the body of Hadi Kajbaf, a major general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and the highest ranking Iranian killed there. Reuters reports he was killed in April by rebels who retrieved his body; it’s not clear Tehran got it back.
• AFP: French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Islamic leaders to reject anti-Semitism posing as anti-Zionism.
“We must say all of this is not Islam,” said Valls. “The hate speech, anti-Semitism that hides behind anti-Zionism and hate for Israel… the self-proclaimed imams in our neighborhoods and our prisons who are promoting violence and terrorism.”
• French comedian Dieudonne loses appeal on parody of Holocaust survivor’s song, fined $146,000.
Commentary/Analysis
• Could India act as go-between for Israel and the Arab world? New Delhi-based journalist Aditi Bhaduri makes the case.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today:
– David Harris: 10 ways Israel is treated unfairly
– Dror Eydar: Without the Jews, there is no Jerusalem
– Seth Lipsky: Refusing to acknowledge that Jerusalem is in Israel has drained Obama of power
– Reuven Berko: What goes around comes around
– Avner Golov: Preventing Iran’s nuclear checkmate
– Eyal Zisser: The Druze’s growing predicament
Featured image: CC BY-NC-SA flicrk/Ed Yourdon with additions by HonestReporting; Louvre CC BY-NC flickr/Mariano Mantel; Valls CC BY-NC-ND flickr/Parti socialiste;
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
