Today’s Top Stories
1. Israeli police arrested an Islamic preacher known for his raging anti-Semitic sermons in the Al-Aqsa mosque. See Jerusalem Post coverage and Palestine Media Watch‘s background on Sheikh Khaled Al-Mughrabi. Police took him into custody from his home.
During his homily, Mughrabi had asserted that “the Children of Israel… would look for a small child, kidnap and steal him, bring a barrel called the barrel of nails . . . . They would put the small child in the barrel and his body would be pierced by these nails. In the bottom of the barrel, they would put a faucet and pour the blood.”
Such actions, he said, were directly responsible for the Holocaust, adding that Jews masterminded the September 11 attacks and control Hollywood.
2. A thoroughly isolated Hamas got a lifeline: the terror group’s leader, Khaled Mashaal weedled an invitation to Moscow from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
3. Our old friend, ex-Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is making a political comeback. AP points out that, populist or not, ‘Najad’s would-be return will be a function of the ruling mullahs, not popular support.
In the absence of reliable polling, it’s impossible to gauge Ahmadinejad’s level of support. Any comeback would depend on Khamenei, who along with his hand-picked appointees vets candidates for parliamentary and presidential elections . . .
“He can’t reappear without approval from the top echelons of power,” he added. “His comeback means Khamenei wants to use him as a counterbalance to control reformists in the upcoming elections.”
4. Stop the Hate: The media should not suggest that the horrible murders of Ali Dawabsha and Shira Banki crimes are reflective of Israeli society. We want the world to know that these acts do not represent us. Please join our effort to show the world that we stand together, united against hate. Click here to add your name our statement.
5. Video: Offensive, Misleading New York Times Op-Ed: The “Gray Lady” gives a soapbox to claims that Israelis don’t care about the recent deaths of a Palestinian toddler and an Israeli teenager. But HonestReporting’s Yarden Frankl points out, the missive misses key information. Watch the video.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Reuters takes a closer look at the growing number of Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem breaking taboos in seeking and obtaining Israeli citizenship.
In part it reflects a loss of hope that an independent Palestinian state will ever emerge. But it also reflects a hard-headed pragmatism – an acknowledgement that having Israeli citizenship will make it easier to get or change jobs, buy or move house, travel abroad and receive access to services.
Israeli officials are reluctant to confirm figures, but data obtained by the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies indicates a jump over the past decade, rising from 114 applications in 2003 to between 800 and 1,000 a year now, around half of which are successful. On top of that, hundreds have made inquiries before the formal application process begins.
Interior Ministry figures obtained by Reuters show there were 1,434 applications in 2012-13, of which 189 were approved, 1,061 are still being processed and 169 were rejected. The remainder are in limbo.
• Three people were injured when Palestinians threw a firebomb at an Israeli car driving in eastern Jerusalem.
• A French Christian tourist visiting the Temple Mount was assaulted by Palestinians after waving an Israeli flag. AFP reports that both the tourist and the four Palestinians have been detained.
• Fatah official Jibril Rajoub: Israeli condemnations of the Duma firebombing didn’t fallen on deaf ears. PA leaders meeting to discuss a response to the terror attack were influenced by the outpouring of Israeli sentiments, he told YNet.
Rajoub told Ynet that the outrage expressed in Israel over the murder and wounding of the Dawabshe family changed the spirit of those in attendance. “We said we must reach the right conclusion from this exceptional event in Israeli society, and understand that there are rational people with whom we can build ties in order to overcome the lack of a diplomatic process. The majority of the meeting’s attendees spoke against incitement for revenge. I think that the reaction in Israel had influence (on the decision).”
• Leading House Republican, Democrat introduce anti-BDS resolution.
• What’s the Arab media saying about Ali Dawabsha? MEMRI flagged this ugly Saudi cartoon.
• Israel plugging for Egypt’s Sisi regime has gotten quiet results.
Egyptian diplomats say the support of Israel has been “crucial” and “huge” in converting the position of the White House from one of being clearly unfavorable towards the Sisi government in Cairo, to being a lot more engaging.
• Air France wipes Israel off of the map . . . literally
Iranian Atomic Urgency
• I’m not into anonymous sources, so it doesn’t reassure me that a US “promise” to defend Israel from an Iranian attack came from an unidentified “senior American defense official” briefing Israeli reporters. Anonymous US officials slinging mud at Israel have created enough headaches over the Iran deal.
• Haaretz: In the wake of the Iran deal, Israeli officials objected to Washington’s arms sales to the Gulf state.
“There were some key capabilities that the Israelis rather the Gulf States not have,” he said. “It is a discussion that started before the Iran deal.”
• Congress, Iran and ‘side deals’: What you need to know
• Mounting Shiite casualties in Syria highlight the depth of Iran’s involvement in the civil war.
Even so, Iran is unlikely to abandon its commitment to its proxy regime in Damascus in the short term. The Islamic Republic in general, and the [Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps] in particular, have invested so much blood and treasure in the war that they no longer believe they can withdraw their support. Arguably, easier access to foreign currency in the wake of the U.S.-led nuclear deal will translate into increased funding for the IRGC’s operations in Syria.
Commentary/Analysis
• Palestinian scholar Bassam Tawil draws a stunningly frank conclusion from Israeli condemnations of last week’s fatal firebombing in Duma:
The strong response of the Israeli public and leaders to the arson attack is, truthfully, somewhat comforting. The wall-to-wall Israeli condemnation of this crime has left me and other Palestinians not only ashamed, but also embarrassed — because this is not how we Palestinians have been reacting to terror attacks against Jews — even the despicable murder of Jewish children.
Our response has, in fact, brought feelings of disgrace and dishonor. While the Israeli prime minister, president and other officials were quick strongly to condemn the murder of Dawabsha, our leaders rarely denounce terror attacks against Jews. And when a Palestinian leader such as Mahmoud Abbas does issue a condemnation, it is often vague and equivocal . . .
We have failed to educate our people on the principles of tolerance and peace. Instead, we continue to condone and applaud terrorism, especially when it is directed against Jews. We want the whole world to condemn terrorism only when it claims the lives of Palestinians. We have reached a point where many of us are either afraid to speak out against terrorism or simply accept it when it claims the lives of Jews.
The Israeli president has good reason to be ashamed for the murder of the baby. But when will we Palestinians ever have a sense of shame over the way we are reacting to the murder of Jews?
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Ofer Israeli: The secret of Iran’s success
– Investor’s Business Daily: UN nuclear watchdog refuses to bark and can’t bite (staff-ed)
– Michael Gerson: How the nuclear deal will fund Iran’s imperialism
– Norman Bailey: What are Israel’s options on Iran?
– Christian Science Monitor: A universal answer to religious violence (staff-ed)
Featured image: CC BY flickr/John Ragai with modifications by HonestReporting; Ahmadinejad CC BY Wikimedia Commons; anonymous sources CC BY flickr/Zaheer Mohiuddin with modifications by HonestReporting
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
