Today’s Top Stories
1. Might Israel transfer PA tax money straight to Gaza over Ramallah’s objections?
(Meanwhile, separate Israeli media reports say Hamas is demanding a tax on Palestinian goods passing through the Kerem Shalom crossing.)
2. Bulgaria caught three Iranian men trying to enter country on fake Israeli passports.
3. Israel is stepping up efforts to block illegal Palestinian Authority activities in Jerusalem.
Israel says that the Palestinians had been acting in violation of the Law for the Implementation of the Agreement on the Gaza Strip and Jericho Area – Restriction on Activity – 1994, which prevents the PA from carrying out political, governmental or similar activity within the area of the State of Israel, including in east Jerusalem.
In recent months, however, the PA has increased its activities in east Jerusalem, prompting Israeli authorities, to take a number of measures to combat the phenomenon. The measures include, among other things, the arrest of scores of PA-affiliated activists and officials in east Jerusalem and the ban of dozens of events organized by the PA and other Palestinian political groups.
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In the News
• Israeli security foiled a Palestinian stabbing attack near Kfar Adumim, near Jerusalem today, as well as another stabbing attack near the entrance to Kiryat Arba, near Hebron, yesterday.
• Over the last several days, Gazans have receiving 16 hours of electricity daily. The expanded electricity — the result of an Israel-Qatar agreement brokered by Egypt and bypassing the PA — is allowing factories and business to operate longer, AFP reports.
In recent days, residents say they have received up to 16 hours of mains electricity a day, compared with as little as four previously.
UN humanitarian officials report an average of between nine and 11 hours per day since October 25.
• Worth reading: Ynet introduces us to Yassin Abu Sidra. He’s the Jewish National Fund’s lookout standing alone in an observation tower along the Gaza border scanning the scenery for incendiary kites, balloons, and the fires they start.
• Amid the fallout of Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, can Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman still help deliver on Mideast peace and Iran?
• “Russia’s top diplomat on Monday accused Israel of breaching its commitment to inform Moscow before it carries out airstrikes in Syria, placing its military personnel in danger ‘on several occasions’ and forcing Russia to respond in a ‘firm but contained manner,'” per the Times of Israel.
• US sanctions on Iran snapped back. Bloomberg News had clearest coverage of the key details. And the Jerusalem Post examines why the US is letting so many countries get waivers on the Iran sanctions.
• Saudi Arabia laid the foundation stone for its first nuclear research reactor.
SPA offered no details on when the research or non-power reactor — typically used for research, development and education purposes — would be built and at what cost . . .
The world’s top crude exporter harbors plans to build 16 nuclear reactors over the next two decades for $80 billion as it seeks to diversify, despite concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.
Prince Mohammed said in March that if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, Riyadh will do so too.
• Can you imagine the outrage if Israel did this?
Egypt Considers Banning The Burqa As Part Of Anti-Extremism Campaign
Window Into Israel
• The northern Israeli town of Nazareth Illit (Upper Nazareth) wants to change its name because residents are tired of tourists and Christian pilgrims confusing it with the better known nearby Arab town of Nazareth.
The Nazareth Illit municipality said it has been suffering from the name confusion since 1956, when Israel’s first prime minister David Ben-Gurion decided to call the newly established settlement Kiryat Nazareth—which was later changed to Nazareth Illit (Upper Nazareth).
The residents make it clear that these are two completely separate cities, despite the geographical proximity and a similar name.
• While Americans vote in today’s midterm elections, here’s why Israel doesn’t use electronic voting.
Around the World
• Drip drip drip: British Labour Party branch voted down a motion condemning Pittsburgh synagogue attack.
Critics of the text at the Labour branch had said the text should have condemned all racism instead of calling out anti-Semitism specifically, Cooke said.
• Leading up to today’s US midterm elections, a white supremacist, anti-Semitic robocall targeted a candidate for governor in Georgia, while a radio ad for Ohio congressional candidate raged about ‘billionaire Communist Jews.’
• Caving in to BDS, Spanish city cancels water polo match against Israel.
• Judge dismisses federal lawsuit alleging antisemitism at San Francisco State University.
• The NYU student senate will vote next month on a BDS resolution calling on the university to divest itself of holdings in “companies involved in the violation of Palestinian human rights.” The non-binding resolution was presented by three student senators affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
• A Florida woman shocked and offended her neighbors by decorating her lawn for Halloween with a bizarre Nazi concentration camp scene described by local reports. Here’s the video, because you have to see it to believe it.
In the yard – skeleton after skeleton, saluting Hitler with concentration camp identification numbers on their arms and a Star of David on their chests.
Then there was the sign that read, “Arbeit Macht Frei,” which translated in German means, “Work sets you free.”
• Massachusetts man charged with hate crime for assaulting a 66-year-old Jewish woman while shouting antisemitic statements. And French police are investigating violent assaults on two young Jews in Paris in single week.
Commentary
• Here’s what else I’m reading today:
– Zev Chafets: Abbas is haunted by a 40-year-old peace plan
– Zvi Bar’el: Gazans are bending Israel and Hamas to their will – all the way toward a deal
– Bassam Tawil: The Middle East “truce”: Why Hamas cannot be trusted
– Walter Russell Mead: Brazil is moving its embassy to Jerusalem (click via Twitter)
– Ellen Wald: Opportunities abound should Israel and Gulf nations cooperate
– Prof. Eyal Zisser: Saudi Arabia is still a partner for peace
– Eli Lake: Trump bank sanctions will hit Iran where it hurts
– Wall St. Journal (staff-ed): The new Iran sanctions (click via Twitter)
– Yoav Limor: Painting Iran into a corner
– Jonathan Tobin: Did Trump blink on Iran sanctions?
– Moshe Arens: The big loser in local elections? National parties.
– Mayor Sadiq Khan: Antisemitism endangers us all. We can’t afford to be complacent
Featured image: CC BY-NC-ND Antonio Trogu; light bulb CC0 Pixabay; atom CC0 Pixabay; San Francisco CC BY-NC Christian Arballo; reading CC BY Georgie Pauwels;
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