Today’s Top Stories
1. The IDF destroyed a Palestinian tunnel that had crossed the border into Israel. Israeli media reports said the tunnel, near Kibbutz Kissufim, was still under construction. Notably, it was located in area where the IDF has not yet begun work on an underground barrier intended to block such tunnels.
“The tunnel was detonated from within Israel, adjacent to the security fence,” the military said in a statement . . .
It was the third such tunnel that the military has said it’s destroyed since the 2014 Gaza war, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge. However, the first two tunnels, which were demolished last year, were believed to be leftovers from the 2014 conflict, whereas the tunnel that was detonated on Monday was “in progress,” according to Conricus.
2. New Zealand’s Jewish community is up in arms over an Iranian diplomat’s provocative speech in Auckland. According to New Zealand media reports:
Jewish community leaders want Hormoz Ghahremani, first secretary of the Iranian Embassy, to be expelled after he appeared alongside speakers who denied the Holocaust and called for the “surgical removal” of Israel.
In his speech, Ghahremani said Israel was trying to “deceive the world” by pretending to be an advocate of peace when in fact it was fuelling terrorism and extremism in the Middle East to divert attention from the Palestine issue.
Kiwi blogger Whale Oil posted a video of the speakers.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
3. This is rich: The Arab-dominated UN Human Rights Council plans to discuss the the status of women in Israeli society. Ynet reports that UNHRC countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will be weighing in on issues such as
women’s exclusion in public transportation, the issue of “decency” on billboards, attitudes of the religious establishment and Haredi parties towards women and the situation in cemeteries, clinics, hospitals, public libraries, public functions, the Western Wall, the media and academia.
Since the UNHRC is interested in women’s rights in the Mideast, here are some other recent developments I assume are also on their radar:
– Saudi Arabia to allow women at three sports stadiums
– Cairo named world’s ‘most dangerous’ city for women
– 14-year-old Palestinian girl sold into marriage by abusive father flees to safety
4. From the Scene: Treating Syrians at Ziv Hospital: To learn more about Israeli humanitarian efforts, HonestReporting brought a group of people to visit Israeli doctors and the Syrian patients they’re treating. This special guest post was written by one of the participants.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Despite Jerusalem’s opposition to the Hamas-Fatah unity deal, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon visited Ramallah for talks with PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Sunday. More at the Times of Israel and Ynet.
• Twenty Palestinians were indicted for their involvement in the biggest agricultural theft in recent history. Overall, 67 people were arrested, including 40 minors, after breaking into Moshav Shekef and stealing an estimated 25-31 tons of grapes and tomatoes. The Palestinians entered Israel through a water passage under the security barrier.
They also caused around NIS 300,000 in damages to the greenhouses and other property. Some of the stolen produce was taken to the nearby West Bank village of Beit Awwa and sold.
• Ambassador Danny Danon ripped Hamas after a tunnel was discovered underneath one of Gaza’s UNRWA schools.
Since the discovery some two weeks ago, UNRWA closed the school and sealed off the opening to the tunnel. The school resumed operations last Wednesday, the UN organization said.
The [UNRWA] statement Saturday did not say where the tunnel led, where it was found, or who was believed to have constructed it.
• Abbas: No government role for Hamas officials who refuse to publicly recognize Israel.
Around the World
• A swastika-laden letter with white powder in the envelope sent to Israel’s New York consulate. The New York Daily News reports the powder was non-toxic. An accompanying hate letter written in Hebrew featured swastikas.
• Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker bars Israel boycotters from doing business with his state
Ramadan, who in 2009 was fired from Rotterdam’s Erasmus University for taking money from the Iranian regime and who has been refused entry to France and the United States over his ties to Hamas and other terrorist groups, has often aired conspiracy theories about Israel and Jews. Ramadan has denied any wrongdoing with regards to the sex crimes accusations.
Commentary/Analysis
• British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson took to the Daily Telegraph to praise the Balfour declaration and lay out his own vision for Mideast peace.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Giora Eiland: Israel needs ‘package deal’ with Putin against Iranian expansion
– Ben-Dror Yemini: When new and old anti-Semitism come together
– Melanie Phillips: The malevolent guest at London’s Balfour dinner
– Seth Frantzman: Israel’s strategy in Kurdistan
Featured image: CC BY-NC Thom Sanders; Gaza tunnel via YouTube/Vice News; Ramadan CC BY Simon Fraser University;
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