Today’s Top Stories
1. The Israeli Electric Corp. transferred power to the PA in a landmark energy deal intended to move the Palestinians towards energy independence.
This type of agreement is the first of its kind, marking the inauguration of a new power plant in Jenin, which will be first of four stations constructed across the West Bank. The agreement also delineates the payments the PA will make to Israel in order to buy the fuel needed to run the plant.
Palestinian PM Hamdallah & Israel energy minister Steinitz cut ribbon together to 1st fully Palestinian owned and run power substation pic.twitter.com/tZBFQYayKB
— Dov Lieber (@DovLieber) July 10, 2017
2. Hamas claims PA President Mahmoud Abbas cut the salaries of 37 of its West Bank lawmakers. It’s all about politics and pressuring Hamas, but if Abbas really wants save money, he may as well cut the salaries of all 132 lawmakers of the Palestinian Legislative Council. It hasn’t convened in 10 years. Jerusalem Post coverage.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
3. European Parliament President Antonio Tajani rebuked the chairman of the parliament’s delegation for relations with Palestine (DPAL) for giving a platform to the families of Palestinian terrorists, reports the European Jewish Press.
Earlier this month, MEP Neoklis Sylikiotis, who heads the ad hoc delegation, invited the wife of Marwan Barghouti and daughter of Ahmad Sa’adat to Strasbourg “under the pretext of discussing ‘the situation of the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails after the hunger strike.'” Their appearance drew sharp protest from across the parliament’s political spectrum.
Barghouti, who headed the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, was convicted of five counts of murder in 2004. Sa’adat was convicted for heading the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and is widely believed to have masterminded the 2001 assassination Israeli cabinet minister Rehavam Ze’evi.
4. What’s The Story Behind This Hebron Photo Essay? A slide show purports to highlight the abuse of Palestinians, but the photos have no captions and show nothing wrong.
5. LA Times and BDS’ Peaceful Hatred and Bigotry: Why is the LA Times unconcerned about hateful BDS vitriol?
Israel and the Palestinians
• An Israeli soldier was moderately injured in a car ramming-stabbing attack near Tekoa this afternoon. A Palestinian tried to run over soldiers, then was shot and killed when he stepped out of the car holding a knife. More at the Jerusalem Post and Ynet.
• Israel’s offshore gas fields and shipping lanes will be secured with a NIS 1.5 billion ($420 million) plan featuring missile defense batteries, electronic warfare systems and more, the Times of Israel reports.
• Ynet: A video posted online by Islamic State in the Sinai claims a drone seen hovering overhead during last week’s attack on Egyptian soldiers is Israeli. Islamic State claims the appearance of the drone “proves” Israel is supporting Egypt’s fight against jihadists in the Sinai.
But Egyptian media reported that that unmanned aerial vehicle was a Chinese-made Wing Loong attack drone which the Egyptian military began using months ago.
On Friday, 26 Egyptian soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing and shooting attack. Israel said a number of ex-Hamas figures participated in the deadly ambush.
• This snippet in The Guardian has me wondering: If you live in Gaza and only have two-to-four hours of electricity, how do you get your news? And why does it matter?
In the one-room kiosk selling pigeons and chickens that he manages, just off the camp’s main market, Ayman Nasser, 32, is sitting on the street with his friends in search of a sea breeze.
His face is illuminated by the light of his mobile phone. He has one battery-powered light burning in his shop.
“Part of the problem is that we don’t have any news. Who should we blame for this? Hamas, Israelis, Abbas?” he said.
Around the World
• Pro-Palestinian activists trying to disrupt a Radiohead concert in Scotland got their comeuppance from frontman Thom Yorke. The moment was caught on video.
During the band’s Friday night concert at the TRNSMT Festival in Glasgow, Scotland, several activists raised Palestinian flags as well as a “Radiohead: #canceltelaviv” sign, and held demonstrations outside the venue, causing lead singer Thom Yorke to respond.
According to Consequence of Sound, prior to the band’s performance of “Myxomatosis,” Yorke reportedly exclaimed, “Some f#cking people!” while staring out into the crowd. He was also caught giving the middle finger to the flag wavers.
It’s not the first time Yorke has denounced the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign (BDS) against Israel. In a June interview with Rolling Stone, Yorke more fully articulated his criticisms. Radiohead is scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv’s HaYarkon Park on July 19.
• The Wall St. Journal examines how the network news tries to game the Nielsen TV ratings. For shame . . .
Commentary/Analysis
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Alex Fishman: Israel a key player in Syria ceasefire deal
– Amos Harel: Syrian cease-fire: The good news may lead to bad news
– Elizabeth Tsurkov: How long will the southern Syria cease-fire last?
– Ron Ben-Yishai: Despite ceasefire deal, Iranian stronghold in Syrian Golan still possible
– Shlomo Puterkovsky: When nothing is sacred, UNESCO ruling comes as no surprise
– Michael Lobovikov: Hebron: Our heritage is the answer
– Jagdish N. Singh: Indo-Israeli ties: New heights
– James Dorsey: Gulf crisis opens door to power shift in Palestine
Featured image: CC0 Unsplash; Tajani CC BY-NC-ND European Parliament; drone via Wikimedia Commons; Yorke via YouTube/karindgr;
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
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