Today’s Top Stories
1. To the ire of Israeli officials, Paraguay will move its embassy out of Jerusalem and back to Tel Aviv. It’s a significant victory for the Palestinians.
The move is a major blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s drive for international recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital; Paraguay was one of two countries to move its embassy following the US decision to recognize the city as the capital and move its own embassy in May.
In response to the reversal, Israel angrily announced that it was closing its embassy in Paraguay, saying Asuncion’s decision cast a cloud over bilateral relations.
The move leaves the US and Guatemala as the only countries with embassies in Jerusalem.
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2. Cyber firm uncovers Iran-run ‘fake news’ sites geared toward Israel.
3. The IDF unveiled the first section of a new security barrier along the Lebanese border. Its 30-foot-height is designed to prevent Hezbollah infiltrations and protect Israelis from sniper fire:
At this stage, the joint IDF-Defense Ministry Borders and Security Fence Directorate has been cleared and received funding to build 13 kilometers (8 miles) of concrete walling along the approximately 130-kilometer (80-mile) border in order to protect the 22 adjacent Israeli villages.
Work began at the beginning of this year and so far 11 kilometers (6.9 miles) in total have been completed . . .
Eventually the plan is to construct a barrier along the entire border — a project that would cost NIS 1.7 billion ($470 million).
4. Washington Post Errs on Palestinian Refugees: There are significant differences in how Palestinians receive refugee status through UNRWA compared to other refugee populations. But not according to the Washington Post.
5. VIDEO: What Is Hamas? The Face of Oppression in Gaza Palestinians are its greatest victims.
Israel and the Palestinians
• The Times of Israel takes an in-depth look at the differences between how the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) define refugees. If the UNRWA definition was in-line with the UNHCR, only an estimated half-million of the UNRWA’s 5.6 million registered Palestinian refugees would retain their refugee status.
• Britain is upping its contribution to UNRWA following US cuts.
• According to Arab reports picked up by Israel HaYom, Egyptian efforts to mediate a Hamas-Israel ceasefire have come to a “grinding halt” and Cairo blames PA chief Mahmoud Abbas:
While the tenuous cease-fire seems to be holding, officials on both sides expressed concern that with the long-term truce overtures deadlocked, the most recent lull will collapse as well.
• A Palestinian activist and entrepreneur is shaking up October’s Jerusalem municipal elections. Aziz Abu Sarah has residency status in eastern Jerusalem which allows him to vote. But Israeli law only allows a citizen to be mayor of the city and Abu Sarah is taking legal action to change the law.
An estimated 180,000 Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem are eligible to vote in municipal elections and to live and work in Israel, but are not eligible for Israeli citizenship or participate in national elections for the Knesset.
They have historically boycotted city elections, saying voting legitimizes Israeli control over Jerusalem.
Abu Sarah isn’t the only Palestinian running. Activist Ramadan Dabash already tossed his hat in the ring for a seat on the city council.
• A Hamas commander was killed in an accidental explosion in Gaza on Wednesday. Does Abdel Rahim Abbas qualify for 72 virgins?
The Hamas-run Gaza interior ministry said the explosion happened at the administrative headquarters for the police’s bomb disposal unit and was a result of explosive materials catching on fire during an inspection.
• High Court of Justice: Because of current corruption probes, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must remove himself from the process of appointing a new police chief.
Around the World
• Anti-Israel posters are being removed from bus stops across London amid Labour’s antisemitism scandal. A spokesman for London Mayor Sadiq Khan called the posters “offensive” and unauthorized and said contractors were instructed to remove them.
The posters were put up by a group calling itself “London Palestine Action” which tweeted photos of the posters at several different bus stops.
London bus stops defaced with anti-Israel posters mocking IHRA antisemitism definitionhttps://t.co/4MTt2QBMH4 pic.twitter.com/2WCWChy1Wj
— The Jewish Chronicle (@JewishChron) September 5, 2018
• Jewish Chronicle poll: Nearly 40 per cent of British Jews would ‘seriously consider’ emigrating if Corbyn became PM.
• Norwegian foreign aid executive received support from Palestinian intelligence(!?)
• Teacher who used ‘racist’ terms against Jews ‘is not anti-Semitic,’ says UK review panel.
Commentary
• Plenty of spilled ink and burnt pixels weighing in on UK Labour’s antisemitism problem.
– Stephen King: I converted to Judaism when I married — and discovered what antisemitism feels like
– Denis MacEoin: The British Labour Party’s new definition of anti-Semitism
– Jonathan Freedland: Jewish concern over Corbyn is not all about Israel. It’s about antisemitism
– Richard Ferrer: Instead of fighting the Tories, Corbyn is obsessed with the moral failings of the Jewish state
– Tom Rogan: Jeremy Corbyn can’t/won’t wash off the stink of anti-Semitism
– Sohrab Ahmari: The rot in the Labour party
– Dovid Efune: British Jews have reason to fear Corbyn’s Labour party (click via Twitter)
– Allister Heath: It’s time to expose the horrifying logic of hard-Left anti-Zionism
– The Guardian (staff-ed): Labour must be an anti-racist party
• Staff-eds in the Washington Post and Baltimore Sun weigh in against US plans to defund the UNRWA.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today:
– Ariel Kahana: Latin America’s warning to Israel
– A. Z. Mohamed: Abbas: The same mistakes as Arafat
– Yoav Zitun: The secrecy is unveiled: a race to destroy Iranian facilities in Syria
– Michal Aharoni: BDS? Let’s calm down
– Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinian journalists: We do not have a free media
– Roni Raab: I lived through a hijacking — this is what I learned
– Jeff Jacoby: The Oslo handshake, 25 years on
– Mitchell Bard: Oslo at 25: What might have been
– Eric Mandel: What Palestinians mean when they talk about a ‘two-state solution’
– Jonathan Tobin: Should we sanction musicians who hold odious ideas about Jews?
– Tobias Petersson: Sweden: The Left Party’s ties to terror groups
Featured image: CC BY Robert Couse-Baker; City Hall via YouTube/AllAboutJerusalem; quill CC0 Pixabay/Ashreila;
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