Today’s Top Stories
1. As John Kerry met with Prime Minister Netanyahu in a bid to calm two months of terror, Haaretz reported that Jerusalem was prepared to make gestures to Palestinians if US accepts construction in existing settlement blocs:
Apparently Netanyahu wants the Obama administration to recognize the understandings between former U.S. president George W. Bush and former prime minister Ariel Sharon in 2004 and 2005, which were arrived at against the backdrop of the plans for the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. In a letter Bush sent to Sharon in 2004, the president declared that the permanent borders between Israel and a Palestinian state would take into account the changes on the ground and existence of Israeli population centers – in other words, the settlement blocs.
In 2005, Sharon and Bush’s advisers came to secret understandings on the settlements that, according to Israel, included America’s agreement to additional construction in the settlement blocs to accommodate “natural population growth,” since these areas would presumably remain in Israel’s hands under any permanent agreement with the Palestinians.
2. Turkey shot down a Russian jet that may or may not have entered Turkish airspace from Syria. Related tweet of the day goes to Gregg Carlstrom:
3. Argentine President-elect Mauricio Macri insisted he will to annul a controversial agreement with Iran to jointly investigate the 1994 bombing of the Buenos Aires Jewish community headquarters. Ties between Jerusalem and Buenos Aires are expected to improve after the opposition leader’s victory ended more than a decade of rule by the husband-wife team of Nestor and Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
Meanwhile, YNet reports that Argentina’s outgoing defense minister cancelled a purchase of out-of-service Israeli Kfir jets, though the deal may still go through at a later date.
However, according to reports abroad, Argentina’s opposition was angry that the deal was signed just before the country’s elections. In light of the controversy raised, the defense minister decided to postpone the signing of the deal until a new government is established.
Israel and the Intifada
• This morning, four people were injured in a Palestinian car-ramming attack at the Tapuah Junction, north of Jerusalem. Also today, police arrested a Palestinian with a knife acting suspiciously outside the Jerusalem bus station.
• Ziv Mizrahi, the soldier killed in yesterday’s stabbing attack, was laid to rest in Jerusalem today.
• Abbas was being Abbas again, whipping up Palestinians by accusing Israel of “extrajudicial killings” and of trying to “change the identity, historical and demographic character of Jerusalem” ahead of John Kerry’s arrival. Ditto for Saeb Erekat.
• You’ll be forgiven for thinking a pair of evil, self-aware scissors went on a rampage, causing mayhem in the Israeli capital. So much for Sky News nuance . . .
• Very classy of the New England Patriots to have a moment of silence for Ezra Schwartz, who was killed in a Palestinian terror attack last week.
• The Washington Post takes a look at what Ezra Schwartz’s death means for Orthodox Jews continuing gap-year trips to study in Israel.
Around the World
• Jonathan Pollard lost a job offer because the conditions of his parole would’ve precluded him from doing his work. Although unrestricted federal monitoring of Pollard’s home and work computers was the main reason, other restrictions described by the Jerusalem Post show why working as a research analyst for an investment firm would’ve been extremely difficult.
He cannot leave his home in New York City before 7 a.m. or come home after 7 p.m., which makes it difficult to travel to and from work, to attend prayer services, or to accept invitations to dinner on the Sabbath and holidays from friends and relatives . . .
Pollard must also answer every phone call or knock on his door in the middle of the night, because it could be a test by a parole officer that if failed could lead to him being sent back to prison.
• Brussels remained in lockdown as Belgian security forces continued searching for Islamic radicals tied to the recent Paris terror attacks. Interviewed by Israeli radio, the city’s Chief Rabbi, Avraham Gigi, said there’s “no future for Jews in Europe.”
Media Issues
• “DIY debunking for keen amateurs or journalists who haven’t had any training in verification or fact-checking.”
6 tips to debunk fake news stories by yourself
Commentary/Analysis
• The American Anthropology Association’s dalliance with boycotting Israel won’t sit well with the organization’s donors. Eugene Kontorovich notes that the AAA benefits heavily from Intel and Yahoo, both of which have “thick Israeli ties.”
So it seems that AAA is what some would call “profiting from the occupation.” Heck, if as the AAA obscurely claims, Israel uses “anthropological frameworks” to “further occupation and colonization,” then surely the tech developed with the AAA’s benefactors is surely even more useful.
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Aaron David Miller: Inconvenient truths about the Mideast peace process
– David Horovitz: Beating the Islamist death cult
– Eugene Kontorovich: How to fight EU labeling
– Dan Margalit: Fighting Palestinian lies
– Ami Friedman: How BDS tries to scare musicians
– Lauren Markoe: ISIS, ISIL, Daesh — explaining the many names for terrorists
Image: CC BY flickr/Hobvias Sudoneighm; Brussels via YouTube/euronews (in English)
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
Before you comment on this article, please remind yourself of our Comments Policy. Any comments deemed to be in breach of the policy will be removed at the editor’s discretion.
