Today’s Top Stories
1. Switzerland became the first country to lift sanctions on Iran. In India, “refiners have got the green light to prepare to pay Iran $1.4 billion in oil dues.” And the US is protesting Russia for hosting Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in late July in violation of a UN travel ban, the Wall St. Journal (via Google News) reported.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said U.S. sanctions remain in place and penalties would still apply to any country or company that violates them. He told reporters that the U.S. wasn’t informed in advance of the Swiss move to drops its sanctions before Iran has taken the promised steps to curb its nuclear program and before the U.S., European Union and United Nations have removed their penalties.
2. Israel has foiled 17 suicide attacks so far this year. The Shin Bet’s figures don’t include other attacks foiled by the PA security services.
In all, over the first seven months of 2015, Israel’s defense and security establishment prevented 111 attempted terror attacks, including shooting attacks and bombings along with the kidnappings and suicide attacks.
3. Will Israel lift the Gaza blockade in exchange for a long-term truce with Hamas?
Israel and the Palestinians
• The Israeli government is installing smart fences around communities near the Gaza border.
• Officials in Ankara confirmed that Hamas operative Salah Arouri is no longer in Turkey. Arouri claimed responsibility for masterminding the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers last year, which touched off Operation Protective Edge. On a related note, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with a delegation of Hamas figures, including the terror group’s top leader, Khaled Mashaal. More on that at Today’s Zaman.
• The Jerusalem Post takes a closer look at the controversy surrounding force-feeding hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners.
• Haaretz updates the latest on the UNRWA’s cash crunch.
• Today’s uh-oh tweet:
• After some initial “snub confusion” Irish President Michael Higgins had a farewell meeting with Israel’s outgoing ambassador, Boaz Modai. According to the Irish Times:
There had been earlier media reports of regret at the Israeli embassy over the fact the normal final meeting with a departing ambassador had not been arranged.
When the matter came to light, the President decided to return to Dublin immediately to ensure protocol was observed and hints of a diplomatic snub were scotched.
• Memo to the boycotters: Globes reports that Ben Gurion Airport is seeing record traffic thanks to the EU Open Skies agreement:
Passenger traffic at Ben Gurion airport is beating all forecasts. There will be an all-time record number of people passing through Ben Gurion airport today as about 80,000 passengers fly in about 457 incoming and outgoing flights.
August is also expected to be a new record month for the Israeli airport with over two million passengers arriving and departing on international flights.
• With a heavy police and media presence, Paris followed through with it’s Tel Aviv beach attraction on the banks of the Seine. I loved AFP‘s money quote.
“There are 50 visitors for 500 journalists. I feel like I’m on the red carpet at Cannes,” said one onlooker.
• BDS dilemma over Israeli scientists’ HIV breakthrough.
• A Bedouin tent near Ramallah was burnt down in another arson attack and the Hebrew words “revenge” and “administrative” were spray painted on a nearby rock. Nobody was injured, and police arrested three Jewish suspects.
Mideast Matters
• Recent polls reached the same conclusion: The Israeli public overwhelmingly opposes the Iranian nuclear deal. Haaretz rounded up the different surveys:
Still, a look at some of the public opinion polls conducted after the agreement was signed – as well as before it – shows a broad consensus against the deal that would seem to transcend the conventional political divides. Most Israelis are not convinced the agreement will prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power or that it will eliminate what is often considered the biggest threat to the country. Like their elected leaders, most Israelis, these polls show, don’t think the U.S. administration has their best interests at heart.
• Bashar Assad’s wealthy cousin in shady business with Israeli
Around the World
• Italian Jews fear dual loyalty accusations after ex-MP Fiamma Nirenstein is tapped as Israel’s envoy to Rome. According to Haaretz:
They point to the fact that within two years, Nirenstein went from being a member of the Italian parliament to becoming an Israeli citizen, then running as an Italian for the leadership of Rome’s Jewish community before being tapped as Israel’s ambassador to Italy.
“It’s problematic,” one senior figure in the community said. “If they appointed her as Israel’s envoy in the UN or in another capital it would be alright. But appointing her as ambassador to Rome could make people ask if Italy’s Jews are Israeli or Italian. It could even harm other Jews’ chance of being elected to the Italian parliament, or to senior government posts in the future.”
• James Thring, a notorious conspiracy theorist who believes the ‘world is controlled by Jewish elders’ spoke at Westminster event hosted by would-be Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn. According to the Daily Mail:
In his unscheduled five-minute address, Thring stated that a Palestinian militia should be armed and equipped.
He also boasted of having close connections to the Chinese authorities, whom he said he was lobbying to provide weapons to the Palestinians.
Thring once described Israel as “an illegal, criminal, psychopathic, belligerent, apartheid entity bent on desecrating the Holy Land,” and is best pals with the American neo-Nazi, David Duke. As news of Thring’s talk spread, Duke came to Corbyn’s defense.
• 30 cars and buildings spray-painted with anti-Semitic graffiti near San Antonio synagogue
Commentary/Analysis
• Worth reading: Iran deal driving Jews farther apart
For now the debate goes on and gets more personal, nastier, uglier. We long for it to be over, one way or another, and to begin the vital effort of healing the wounds and mending Washington-Jerusalem ties.
Let’s start closer to home, though. Even within our own community we need to recognize and address the divide that separates us, one from the other. It has become increasingly difficult to talk about collective “American Jewish attitudes” and shared “Jewish values” when there are such deep differences, not only in our outward views but also in how we define ourselves as Jews.
These issues tend to arise during moments of crisis, and then subside.
But they’re not going away. Dealing with them now may be our last chance before we reach the point where we no longer fit the definition of one Jewish people.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Jeremy Ben-Ami: Let’s keep the Iran debate civil
– Aaron David Miller: Give Bibi the Nobel Peace Prize
– Jonathan Tobin: Distorting the truth about Iran and Israel
– Israel Ziv: Israel only stands to lose from ‘defeating’ Obama
– Zalman Shoval: Challenges await Israeli diplomacy
– Alan Dershowitz: Obama, Iran deal supporters shouldn’t stifle debate
– Orde Kittrie: Congress can rewrite the Iran deal (via Google News)
– Yaakov Amidror: What next for Islamic State?
– Judith Bergman: Delusional warfare
– Christian Science Monitor: The Arab-Israeli courtship (staff-ed)
Featured image: CC BY flickr/John Ragai with modifications by HonestReporting; airport CC BY-NC flickr/fabcom; Rome CC BY-ND flickr/Serge Vincent; CC BY-SA HonestReporting
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