Today’s Top Stories
1. After months of negotiations, Israel and the US agreed on a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) governing the next decade of US military aid to Israel. Reuters reports the 10-year package is worth $38 billion, “representing the biggest pledge of US military assistance ever made to any country.” Haaretz adds that Israel’s acting National Security Adviser, Jacob Nagel has already arrived in Washington to sign the agreement.
Notable changes from previous MOUs include:
A) Phasing out a provision for spending 26% of the aid in Israel’s own defense industry.
B) Money for missile defense, which till now was funded ad hoc by Congress
C) An Israeli commitment not to lobby Congress for additional aid.
A deal now allows [Netanyahu] to avoid uncertainties surrounding the next president, whether Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump, and to give Israel’s defense establishment the ability to plan ahead.
2. The Israeli Air Force confirmed it was fired on by Syrian surface to air missiles, but denied a Syrian claim that a war plane and drone were shot down.
Israel launched a bombing run last night in response to errant mortar fire from Syria striking the Golan.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
3. Haaretz: Israel and PA to sign agreement resolving long-standing massive electric debt:
The senior official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the PA will agree to pay about 500 million shekels to the IEC immediately. In addition, it will commit to paying another billion shekels in installments spread over a long period of time. The remaining 500 million shekels will be erased, so the PA will never have to repay it.
4. The Independent Questions Jewish History: Thousands of years of Jewish life in the Holy Land is “alleged.” Alleged?
5. Take Action Now: Newsweek Middle East’s Anti-Semitic Senior Deputy Editor: Magazine’s Middle East senior deputy editor Leila Hatoum is exposed as an anti-Semite on her Twitter feed. Read more and sign our petition to Newsweek.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Will outgoing Hamas chief Khaled Mashaal vie for presidency of the Palestinian Authority?
• As a delegation of senior Facebook executives visit Israel, the Times of Israel updates the latest efforts to curb Palestinian incitement on the social media platform.
• Two Israeli soldiers who mistakenly drove into the Palestinian town of Tulkarem were rescued by Palestinian police and IDF forces after nearly being lynched last night.
• Troops find 200 lbs. of bomb-making material in West Bank home.
• Erdogan and Netanyahu to meet in New York during opening of the UN General Assembly?
• I don’t know what the tweet says, but kids dressed up as Hamas gunmen on the Temple Mount is sick.
#صور … من صلاة #عيد_الأضحى المبارك في المسجد #الأقصى المبارك .
تصوير محمد دويك pic.twitter.com/220q6LXN6I— المركز الفلسطيني للإعلام (@PalinfoAr) September 12, 2016
Commentary/Analysis
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Amos Harel: What Israel stands to lose from the Syrian cease-fire deal
– Yonah Jeremy Bob: Why is US going ahead with terror cases against Saudis but not PA?
– Eugene Kontorovich: Unsettled: A global study of settlements in occupied territories
– Dror Eydar: International law, or a public opinion poll?
– Raphael Ahren: What Netanyahu means when he talks about ‘ethnic cleansing’
– Khaled Abu Toameh: Palestinians: Bad news for Israel-haters
– Dr. Moshe Terdiman: The Israeli return to Africa
– Daniel Gordis: Getting to ‘why’
– Shawn Evenhaim: Boycott BDS to prevent discrimination in California
– Seffi Kogen: Campus Zionists don’t need safe spaces. They need self-confidence.
Image: CC BY Hobvias Sudoneighm; F-15 CC BY-NC Israel Defense Forces;
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