Today’s Top Stories
1. Times of Israel Persian blogger Neda Amin arrived safely in Israel this morning. Amin was at risk of being sent to Iran when Turkish authorities sought to deport the 32-year-old writer. Amin, who wrote about women’s issues in her native Iran, fled for Turkey in 2014.
Later in the day, she told reporters she might seek permanent residency in Israel, or perhaps citizenship. And editor David Horovitz was finally able to tell the story behind the story: How Neda Amin came to Israel.
https://twitter.com/FridaGhitis/status/895561094097387520
2. In a conference call with reporters, a senior IDF officer said that in event of war with Hamas, Israel would blow up Gaza houses covering Hamas tunnels, then got unusually specific about two specific homes. Here’s part of what Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, as quoted by the Times of Israel.
The military provided reporters with both satellite images of the alleged Hamas tunnel covers in the northern Gaza city of Beit Lahiya and their geographic coordinates: 31°33’05.9?N 34°28’07.9?E and 31°32’45.2?N, 34°29’52.8?E . . .
The army’s satellite photograph notes the approximate location of the tunnel shaft in the building’s southern corner . . .
The army said the second site is a home owned by Omar Muhammad Mahmoud Hamad, where he lives with his five children in Beit Lahiya. Hamad’s father and brother also live in the house. The military said Hamad is an active Hamas member.
Zamir also elaborated on Israel’s underground barrier along the Gaza border to block terror tunnels. See Ynet for reaction from Israelis living near Gaza.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
3. Israeli wins Thai boxing medal after Palestinian opponent refuses to compete. The Palestinians freely confirmed to Maan News that the forfeit was a political decision:
Abu al-Hajj was set to spar against an Israeli opponent in the final rounds of the competition, but refused to do so, “as there has not yet been an official Palestinian decision over whether to face Israeli athletes in any sporting event.”
As a result of the forfeit, Amit Mdah, 16, of the predominately Druze and Christian village of Kisra-Sumei in the Western Galilee took the bronze medal by default at the IFMA Youth Muay Thai World Championships on Tuesday. More at the Jerusalem Post.
4. Which Country is Missing From Terror List on Australia’s #1 News Site?: Editors seem to think car-ramming attacks don’t happen in Israel, only in Europe and Australia.
Israel and the Palestinians
• The Jerusalem Post sheds more light on the five Palestinian “journalists” arrested by the PA on Tuesday night. I put quote marks around the word journalists because all or most work for Hamas-linked media, which does not produce journalism.
In the view of the journalist who spoke with The Jerusalem Post the arrests might be aimed at pressuring Hamas to release Fouad Jaradah, a reporter for the PA’s Palestine TV, who was arrested in Gaza on June 8 and was later accused of collaborating with the authority.
Before deploying the press freedom hashtags, it’s worth reminding ourselves: Who is a journalist?
• While Neda Amin was saying hello to Israel, former Reuters bureau chief Luke Baker was tweeting farewell.
https://twitter.com/LukeReuters/status/895325080921661440
• Israel released from custody a Palestinian UN official who had been detained on suspicion of unspecified security offenses. Hamdan Timraz, who served as deputy head of the UN Department of Safety and Security, had been held for a month after a court decided not to charge him. Ynet coverage.
• We now know Israel explored the possibility of detente with North Korea 25 years ago. The gist of it all was to begin investing in North Korea if Pyongyang would stop selling arms to Israel’s enemies. Israeli officials secretly visited North Korea but nothing came of the courtship except a lot of fingerpointing between Israeli’s Foreign Ministry and Mossad. More at the Times of Israel.
• Meet Sandra Solomon, a Palestinian ‘taught to hate Israel’ who is now a Christian Zionist.
Around the World
• French Jews say car-ramming attack shows indifference to anti-Semitism.
• “The expansion of Iranian regime institutions in Germany has prompted the opening of an inquiry by the Green Party in the Bundestag on Friday to assess Tehran’s anti-Israel and espionage activities.” Hmmmmm.
• Shahak Shapira’s spray can video stunt prompts Twitter to act on hateful tweets. AP followed up:
By Wednesday, Twitter had deleted three tweets, suspended four accounts and withheld another seven accounts in Germany.
Fifteen other tweets, including some containing anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim and anti-black comments, were still online.
Commentary/Analysis
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Aaron David Miller: Netanyahu faces the political crisis of his life
– Annika Hernroth-Rothstein: Al Jazeera and Israel’s democracy test
– Jonathan Tobin: Resurrecting the Arab boycott
– Dr. Reuven Berko: Abbas’ infusion from the king
– Gary Rosenblatt: Could pushing Iran on nuke deal backfire?
Featured image: CC BY-SA tedeytan; North Korea CC0 Pixabay;
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
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