Today’s Top Stories
1. German TV pulled the plug on a Roger Waters concert over anti-Semitism. The Jerusalem Post explains why Waters’ June, 2018 gig Cologne gig won’t be aired:
Malca Goldstein-Wolf launched a petition campaign to prevent WDR from using taxpayer money to fund a “Jew-hater.”
She said the chairman of the Cologne-based TV outlet Tom Buhrow is allowing the spread of antisemitism by televising Waters, who is an energetic supporter of the BDS campaign, which targets Israel and has used antisemitic imagery at his concerts . . .
Goldstein-Wolf also referenced a WDR scandal in the petition, where the TV station initially refused to air a documentary film about contemporary antisemitism in Europe, as further evidence that WDR is largely clueless about modern Jew-hatred in Europe.
2. Dubai’s top cop called for bombing Al Jazeera headquarters, blaming it for Egypt mosque attack. Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan’s tweets caught the eye of the International Business Times.
“The alliance must bomb the machine of terrorism … the channel of ISIL, al-Qaeda and the al-Nusra front, Al Jazeera the terrorists,” wrote Khalfan on Twitter, where he has a following of close to 2.5 million accounts.
Khalfan evidently missed our 10 letter-writing tips or it wouldn’t have come to this . . .
3. The Times of Israel takes a closer look at Israeli-Egyptian cooperation in the fight against Islamic insurgents in the Sinai. Besides sharing intelligence and lifting restrictions on troop movements in the Sinai, the IDF has reportedly carried out drone attacks on jihadist targets with Cairo’s approval.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
4. Gaza Terror – Israel Tech: Last week several tons of explosive material were on their way into Gaza when Israel caught it using innovative chemistry tech: saving untold numbers of lives. And the media said . . . nothing.
In the News
• Jerusalem Post: In a bid to obtain the release of two Israelis and the bodies of two IDF soldiers, American Jewish leader Malcolm Hoenlein has been holding secret talks with Qatari and Turkish officials with the apparent knowledge of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• Israeli police arrested a Palestinian trying to sneak a knife into Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs.
• Prime Minister Netanyahu is heading back to Africa to attend Tuesday’s inauguration of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta amid boiling tensions in the East African state’s heavily disputed election. Two rounds of voting were marred by violence, charges of vote-rigging and an opposition boycott; the opposition is planning an “alternative inauguration.” The Times of Israel reports that Netanyahu is looking forward to meeting with other African heads of state in Nairobi, though the Shin Bet has concerns about protecting him if protests turn violent.
According to Kenyan media reports, 11 heads of state have confirmed their attendance.
• Acts of anti-Semitism in Australia rose about 10 percent over the last year, according to a report picked up by the Jerusalem Post.
• Berkeley lecturer apologized for a retweet the administration condemned as anti-Semitic.
• The trials and tribulations of life in the Israeli diplomatic corps . . .
– Security officer resigns after locking consul in embassy.
– Turkish Jewish leader denies snubbing gay Israeli envoy.
– Neo-Nazi site thanks Deputy Foreign Minister for ‘admitting’ US Jews don’t serve
• Mazal tov to Prince Harry on his engagement to Meghan Markle, who is not Jewish. I hope this preempts some silly emails, social media posts and news reports to the contrary . . .
Markle, who is best known for her role on the USA Network drama “Suits,” was married to Jewish producer Trevor Engelson from 2011 to 2013. As Tominey notes, the pair had a Jewish wedding in Jamaica (complete with a “Jewish chair dance,” meaning the hora).
Markle’s father is Irish and her mother is African-American. She wrote an essay for Elle magazine in 2015 about her identity (it was subsequently published in Elle UK, one of the publications that has misstated her Jewish identity). The essay did not mention any Jewish ancestry or hint at a past conversion to Judaism.
Commentary
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Amb. Danny Danon: We fulfilled the dream
– Amiram Levin: It’s time to demand recognition of Israeli sovereignty in Golan Heights
– Norman Bailey: Seismic upheavals in the Middle East
– Molly Kiniry: Unlike his predecessor, Donald Trump is actually dealing with the Mideast
– Moshe Arens: Israel’s relationship with U.S. Jewry ebbs and flows, but is this a turning point?
– Julie Nathan: Attacks on Jews signal a worrying threat to all civilised society
– Daily Telegraph (staff-ed): Two cheers for this Mideast realignment
Featured image: CC BY-NC-ND Mister G.C.k; Waters via Facebook/Roger Waters; Kenya CC BY Kevin Walsh; royals via YouTube/Emily Holgate;
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