Today’s Top Stories
1. Undercover Israeli forces nabbed a Palestinian terrorist hiding in a Hebron hospital. With one soldier disguised as a woman in labor, the story sounds more like a movie than real life. Azzam Izzat Shalaldeh was wanted for trying to stab an Israeli two weeks ago. Shaladeh’s cousin was shot and killed during the raid after he attacked the soldiers.
2. An alleged Israeli air strike in Syria hit an arms shipment for Hezbollah near the Damascus airport. But Hezbollah shouldn’t be sweating it too much. Israel raised its estimate of Hezbollah’s rocket stash to 150,000.
3. The White House rebuffed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suggestion that the US recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Haaretz writes:
In making the suggestion, Netanyahu pointed to Syria’s growing destabilization from civil war. But the White House official said the U.S. position, which objects to Israel annexing the Golan Heights, remains unchanged, adding that Netanyahu’s proposal was unjustified and could even harm U.S.-backed Syrian opposition forces.
4. The Rudoren Test: HonestReporting is going to take the New York Times’ Jerusalem bureau chief at her word.
Israel and the Intifada
• A Palestinian who tried to stab an Israeli Border Policeman in Bethlehem failed to injure anyone. As this roundup went to press, police were still searching for the attacker.
• The terror attack that saved a life. When doctors operated on a stabbing victim, they discovered and removed a previously unknown tumor. Not quite what the terrorist had in mind . . .
• Poll: Almost a quarter of British Jews would back ‘sanctions against Israel’
• Israeli President Ruby Rivlin cancelled an address to the EU parliament in response to the EU’s decision to label settlement products.
• A presentation Israeli actor and gay rights activist Assi Azar at Baltimore’s Goucher College was disrupted by BDS activists, accusing him of “pinkwashing” Israeli policies (What is pinkwashing?) Even though Azar requested a dialogue with the protesters, they were focused on preventing him from speaking.
See Times of Israel coverage, Azar’s vivid description in a Facebook post, and a response from Natalie Dibo, a Goucher student employed by the campus Hillel and also active in LGBT issues.
• Tony Blair believes Hamas can be brought around on Israel.
Iranian Atomic Urgency
• Iran has stopped dismantling centrifuges in two uranium enrichment plants according to the country’s own state media. The move comes in response to complaints that the nuclear deal was being implemented “too quickly.”
• UN officials warned Iran against its continued intimidation of journalists. Five independent Iranian journalists have recently been arrested under unspecified charges.
Commentary/Analysis
• A staff-ed in Daily Telegraph praises Israeli democracy and takes a swipe at intellectuals who side with intolerance for Israel.
Those who have taken umbrage at Mr Johnson’s remarks are clearly lacking a sense of irony. One cornerstone of a democratic society is free speech, the willingness to allow someone to say things with which you disagree, without penalty or punishment. Refusing to talk to Mr Johnson over a difference of opinion may thus lend weight to the argument that parts of Palestinian society fall short of the democratic standard set by the state of Israel.
• A rare voice of moderation from Lu’ayy Minwer al-Rimawi, a Jordanian academic:
• Here’s what else I’m reading today:
– Ofir Haivry: European hypocrisy: Why single Israel out?
– Moshe Kantor: Brussels embraces the anti-Israel label (click via Google News)
– Boaz Bismuth: Europe is marking us again
– Aaron David Miller: Bibi’s excellent Washington adventure
– Jennifer Rubin: Iran is not honoring the deal, so why should we?
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
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