Today’s Top Stories
1. The State Dept. admitted in a letter obtained by the National Review that the Iranian nuclear deal is not legally binding, and that no Iranian official ever signed it.
Meanwhile, the UN’s chief nuclear watchdog chief Yukiya Amano said there are still no assurances that Iran’s nuclear program is all peaceful.
2. It turns out Russian aircraft have breached Israeli airspace from Syria. But because Israeli and Russian military officials are maintaining coordination, “violations do not lead to crises such as the one now flaring between Moscow and Ankara.” Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon elaborated in an interview with Israeli radio.
On a related note, the Israeli Air Force reportedly struck a Hezbollah target in Syria on Saturday night. The attack was said to be in the Qalamoun area, near the Lebanese border, where another Israeli airstrike allegedly took place last week.
3. Israel is due to open an office in Abu Dhabi focusing on renewable energy. The United Arab Emirates officials insists that the move reflects no change in policy towards Israel, and that the office will be accredited to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). More at Haaretz and the Washington Post.
4. Reuters: “Palestinian Dies in Ramming Attack”: Headline labels terrorist as victim of his own attack.
5. Fighting BDS: Tips and Strategies: Check out our slideshare for advice on how you can combat the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. If you want others to care, remember to share.
Israel and the Intifada
• A woman was stabbed at a bus stop in Jerusalem this morning. The victim, a 31-year-old foreign worker from Nepal, described the attack to YNet. Also this morning, a police officer was injured in a stabbing attack at the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem’s Old City. On Saturday morning, a Palestinian woman and her friend were arrested after trying to stab soldiers at a Jordan Valley checkpoint. And on Friday, eight soldiers were injured in two separate Palestinian car-ramming attacks in the West Bank.
• Thousands of people from Israel and overseas streamed to the wedding of Sarah Techiya Litman, whose father and brother were killed in a Palestinian terror attack two weeks ago.
• IDF closes third Hebron radio station for incitement.
• Jerusalem Post: In a bid to to counter Palestinian incitement on social media, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is developing codes and apps to locate inflammatory videos and calls to violence. (Images via Memri.)
• In unprecedented move Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called Jerusalem Israel’s ‘historical capital.’
• When the Evening Standard‘s review of an Israeli quartet suffered from “pangs of guilt,” Harry’s Place contacted the reporter. You won’t believe the tone-deaf response.
• ‘Blessings of Israel’: Settlers find new ways to label products after EU decision.
• Former Associated Press reporter Mark Lavie says the wire service spiked a story about Mahmoud Abbas rejecting an Ehud Olmert peace offer out of hand a few years ago. (The map, hand-drawn by Olmert, was revealed for the first time in 2013; Abbas publicly acknowledged his refusal of Olmert’s offer only a few weeks ago.) Lavie writes:
In March 2009, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat was interviewed in Arabic on Al-Jazeera. When I saw the MEMRI translation I immediately understood its significance: Erekat disclosed that Abbas had turned down an offer that would have given the Palestinians a state in almost all of the West Bank, all of Gaza, and parts of Jerusalem. Then I found out about the map. No one else had the story.
Excited about this scoop, I raced into my bureau chief’s office at the AP in Jerusalem. Imagine my shock when I was told it’s not a story—and I was banned from writing about it. It just couldn’t be a legitimate story, in line with the new definition of journalism.
• Here’s a rundown of intifada violence (by the numbers or in-depth) from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mideast Matters
• Egypt reportedly discovered an iron-lined tunnel from Gaza with walls 16 inches thick.
• Jerusalem Post: The Gazan responsible for the 2011 murder of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni was killed in Iraq fighting alongside Islamic State.
• Does this development reported by the International Business Times reinforce suggestions that the Syrian conflict is a precursor to the Biblical war of Gog and Magog?
Around the World
• Israeli company wins Swiss tender for drones.
• Abdelhamid Abaaoud, ringleader of Paris attacks planned more attacks, including Jewish targets, according to Reuters.
• IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot secretly visited Brussels to share Israel’s experience of dealing with terrorism.
Commentary/Analysis
• Here’s what else I’m reading today . . .
– Bassam Tawil: Palestinians: The real goal of the intifada
– Reuven Berko: Adolescent terrorism hurts Palestinians
– Nahum Barnea: An intifada without a leader
– Norman Bailey: What should Israel really fear?
– Lawrence Solomon: Israeli boycott, or boon?
– David Harris: November 29: A significant date in Arab-Israeli history
– Guy Bechor: Israel remains the Middle East’s only anchor
– Alan Baker: Outlawing the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel
– Melanie Phillips: Time to change the narrative
– Zalman Shoval: Syria and Iran: Frenemies
– New York Post (staff-ed): Avis’ idiotic anti-Israel ‘policy’
– Los Angeles Times (staff-ed): Jonathan Pollard should abide by parole terms
Featured image: CC BY flickr/Kamyar Adl;
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