Today’s Top Stories
1. Hamas has been experimenting with drones dropping explosives — on Iron Dome batteries, and possibly other targets. Ynet explores the problem and what’s at stake:
An accurate hit on an Iron Dome battery is one of Hamas’s clear objectives, as this isn’t merely another prestigious target, but a symbol—much like infiltration into an Israeli community, kidnapping a soldier or sabotaging the obstacle Israel is building on the border. And the simplest way to get to the Iron Dome batteries is by launching a drone that could drop an explosive on them, or blow up itself.
The drones launched toward that community in May were likely the “pilot” for an operational plan. To Hamas, the explosive-carrying drones and the “suicide” drones’ main job is to cause mass casualties or to accurately hit military targets. If Israel causes mass casualties in the strip, Hamas in response will launch the explosive drones towards Israeli communities on the Gaza border. It could hit a basketball court in the middle of a game, or a beach on a hot summer day. In the Zikim area, for example, several drones from Gaza were found this year. Another possible scenario is for such a drone to fly over an Israeli sniper position and drop a small explosive, like a grenade, in response to sniper fire on Palestinian rioters.
2. Yotam Ovadia, killed in a Thursday night terror attack, was laid to rest on Friday. The 31-year-old was stabbed to death by a Palestinian who infiltrated the West Bank settlement of Adam, north of Jerusalem on Thursday night. The Palestinian, 17-year-old Mohammad Tareq Yousef, attacked two other residents, one of whom fatally shot the terrorist. Ovadia is survived by a wife and two children ages two years and seven months.
One of Adam’s residents, Ariel Kahana, described the evening and what he told his son that night.
Yesterday Tu B’av began, “The holiday of love” in which Jews celebrate love and peace.
Yotam Ovadia was on his way home from buying groceries to prepare a romantic meal for his wife and was stabbed to death by a terrorist.Rest in peace beautiful soul?? pic.twitter.com/dN9g6ElRPk
— נוֹי Noy (@Noyalevy_) July 27, 2018
3. Ahed Tamimi and her mother were released from prison. Tamimi, now 17, completed an eight-month sentence for shoving and slapping an Israeli soldier on video. That video, as well as other videos of her at a young age hitting and provoking soldiers made her an international Palestinian icon.
4. Sky News Dances on the Edge of Antisemitism? It’s one thing to discuss the International Holocaust Rembrance Alliance antisemitism definition. It’s another thing to breach that definition during the discussion.
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Israel and the Palestinians
• Dozens of Palestinians rioted on the Temple Mount after Friday afternoon prayers. According to Israeli media reports, Palestinians held a parade on the esplanade “to mark the anniversary of Israel removing metal detectors that were temporarily placed at the entrance to the holy site following a terror attack there.”
• In Gaza, two rocket goons from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were killed in a work accident which initial reports had blamed on Israel. “Local residents said the men were preparing to fire a projectile when the explosion occurred.”
• 12-year-old Gazan said shot by IDF at Friday’s Gaza border clash had played a ‘martyr’ in viral film.
• A two-ship flotilla hoping to symbolically break the Israeli blockade of Gaza was intercepted by the Israeli Navy this afternoon and on its way to Ashdod. Israel enforces a blockade to prevent Hamas weapons smuggling. Several of the activists and organizations supporting this flotilla are also open supporters of Hamas, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Meanwhile, The Media Line examines the Italian city of Palermo’s support for the Gaza flotillas.
• Two Palestinian teens caught sneaking into Israel with bag of guns on Saturday.
• The former commander of the PA’s General Intelligence Service accused PA security forces of “terrorizing” Palestinian women and children. However, the Jerusalem Post reports Tawfik Tirawi’s rare statement did not name names.
• Palestinian Authority TV lauded President Abbas’ Holocaust denial PhD thesis (as well as Palestinian terror attacks launched from Lebanon over the years). See MEMRI’s video and/or transcript.
• Congress mulling bill to redefine Palestinian refugees and reduce US funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) supporting them.
Lamborn’s legislation, which would scale back UNRWA’s mission, comes on the heels of a congressional effort to compel the State Department to release a long classified report that is believed to show the number of actual Palestinian refugees is far few from the 5.3 million. Sources familiar with the report’s contents say the actual number of refugees is closer to 20 or 30,000 and that U.S. officials have over classified these findings in order to prevent public disclosure that could cripple UNRWA.
• In a bid to improve the Palestinian economy, Britain will double its developmental aid to the PA, The Guardian reports.
The money, half of which will be funnelled through the World Bank, will create hundreds of jobs, enhance water and electricity infrastructure, and help boost exports to Israel and beyond, Burt said.
• Was Thursday’s rocket fire from Syria a deliberate Islamic State ploy to draw Israel into the civil war?
Window Into Israel
On a related note, Zionist Union’s musical chairs continues with other moves: With party leader Isaac Herzog’s departure to take over the Jewish Agency, former Kadima MK Robert Tiviaev fills the vacated seat while Tzipi Livni becomes opposition leader.
• Arab Israeli leader says Mahmoud Abbas will help fight nation-state law.
• The Los Angeles Times takes a closer look at Druze opposition to the nation state law.
• The Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (a.k.a. Kan) and the Prime Minister’s Office are at loggerheads over funding preparations for next year’s Eurovision. Does the disagreement over allocations imperil the competition being held in Israel? That’s what Kan CEO Eldad Koblenz warns. The PM insists the broadcaster’s budget is sufficient. Details at Ynet.
• For commentary on domestic issues, David Horovitz, Melanie Phillips and Conor Brady weigh in on the nation-state law. Last but not least, Lahav Harkov notes what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in defense of the law at today’s cabinet meeting.
“For dozens of years the opposition has preached to us that we need to withdraw to the 1967 lines to ensure that…there will be a Jewish majority in the country. So now suddenly, when we legislate a law that does just that, they scream…What hypocrisy.” https://t.co/LH4GBBgSfp
— Lahav Harkov (@LahavHarkov) July 29, 2018
Around the World
• More than 100 antisemitic incidents recorded in UK every month as bigots ‘become more confident.’
• Per the Times of London, the UK Labour party “is investigating more than 250 complaints of anti-semitic abuse after revelations that supporters of Jeremy Corbyn posted vile insults about a Jewish MP on the internet.” The Labour MP in question, Dame Margaret Hodge, has faced a torrent of antisemitic abuse online after she called party leader Jeremy Corbyn “a racist and antisemite.”
• Labour councillor suspended over Facebook post calling for execution of ‘Talmud Jews’ and an antisemitic video describing Jews as ‘parasites.’
• The New York Times takes an in-depth look at France’s “new antisemitism.”
• How do Birthright guides talk about the Palestinians?
Commentary
• In the aftermath of Yotam Ovadia’s murder, terror victim Orit Marcus has a message for would-be Palestinian terrorists: Terror won’t break us. See related commentary by Michael Dickson and Emily Amrousi.
– Ron Ben-Yishai: Chaos on the borders: Israel has lost its deterrence
– Tony Badran: Putin’s new rules for the Golan Heights
– Orit Perlov, Udi Dekel: Putin, Assad likely can’t remove Iran from Syria
– Amos Harel: Russia didn’t like Israel’s White Helmets mission – but loved the strike on ISIS
– Giora Eiland: More potential for escalation
– Shalom Lipner: The summer of Israel’s contentment
– Yonah Jeremy Bob: Is the IDF ready for its next legal war?
– David Weinberg: Secure the Temple Mount now
– Denis MacEoin: Dignity for the Palestinians
– Jonathan Freedland: Yes, Jews are angry – because Labour hasn’t listened or shown any empathy
– Rod Liddle: Careful, Auntie, your nasty little prejudice is showing again
Featured image: CC BY-NC Deviant Art/nikup; drone CC0 Max Pixel; US Capitol CC BY-NC Steve; Bahloul via Wikimedia Commons; Putin via YouTube/Russia Insight;
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