Today’s Top Stories
1. Confusion reigns as Airbnb releases a statement saying that its settlement boycott “would not be implemented in practice,” but then appears to backtrack. The initial good news arrived in an Israeli Tourism Ministry statement welcoming Airbnb’s about-turn. This was based on a press release put out in Hebrew by Airbnb’s Israeli representatives.
But then came an English-language press release from Airbnb’s HQ appearing to deny that the company had changed its mind. So what’s going on? Judging from the English statement, it appears that the only things stopping Airbnb from following through with its boycott are technical.
Oh, and that Airbnb’s press office and public relations team are utterly inept.
And @Airbnb indeed released an English statement shortly after their initial Hebrew statement. Or should I say total spin. In the Eng version they basically say the implementation of their anti-settlement policy is just so ‘incredibly complex’ (and therefore not happening…) pic.twitter.com/psXxA1iBIK
— Noa Landau נעה לנדאו (@noa_landau) December 17, 2018
2. The smug look on Roger Waters’ face will have disappeared when he learns that ten days after canceling their upcoming tour of Israel, the UK Pink Floyd Experience, unlike Airbnb, have done a complete u-turn and will now be performing as planned. The Jerusalem Post reports:
“It was a terrible situation, their lives were threatened, they were very scared, they deleted their Facebook page” said Ziv Rubinstein, an Israeli musician and one of the producers from EGoeast. “But we know the people who are in the band, and we know they are people who love Israel, who have appeared here in the past – we talked to them and spoke to their heart.”
Rubinstein told The Jerusalem Post Tuesday that “we tried to explain to them that at the end of the day, we’re talking about art, and we’re talking about music, and they have a big fan base here.” He said the band took “a brave step” in rescheduling the shows, knowing that “they will face attacks again.”
3. Israel’s efforts to locate and destroy terror tunnels in Operation Northern Shield are being closely monitored on the Lebanese side of the border, says the IDF. So far four tunnels have been publicly exposed, and the IDF says it has discovered more subterranean passages dug into Israeli territory from the North by terrorist organization Hezbollah.
The Israel Defense Forces released video footage of one of the four tunnels it has so far exposed as part of its operation to find and destroy them. Israel is understood to have been operating on its side of the border alone, but said in a statement that “an attempt to seal off the passage can be seen, which we understand was carried out by operatives of the Hezbollah terror group in recent days.”
This Hezbollah attack tunnel dug from Lebanon into Israel was funded by Iran & costs millions of dollars. As you watch this video, think about how that money could’ve been invested in the Iranian or Lebanese people, but Lebanon allowed Hezbollah to invest it in killing Israelis. pic.twitter.com/AeUERqiAc4
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) December 18, 2018
This comes a day after armed Israeli and Lebanese soldiers were drawn into an argument after the Israeli troops laid down barbed wire along the border, prompting angry protestations and gun-pointing from their Lebanese counterparts. The situation was resolved after soldiers communicated via peacekeepers, ending with both sides leaving the site safely and avoiding any further escalation.
4. Congratulations to HonestReporting’s latest Watchdog of the Week for a superb letter in the Summit Daily News taking apart an Associated Press story on Gaza. Read the entire letter here.
In the News
• Kudos to CNN for checking out the Hezbollah tunnels crossing Israel’s border.
Watch as @CNN got exclusive access from the @IDF to one of the #Hezbollah attack tunnels.
1. An @NBA player could stand up in these tunnels.
2. It's more complicated than finding a needle in a haystack. @IDFSpokesperson
מגיש לעולם את חזבאללה על מגש של כסף. ככה עושים תקשורת. pic.twitter.com/8z0tn8UqkQ— LTC (R) Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) December 17, 2018
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
• Still on the tunnels, the United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL declared the cross-border attack tunnels dug from southern Lebanon into Israel a violation of the UN resolution that ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, saying it has confirmed that at least two tunnels crossed into Israel.
According to The Times of Israel, a spokesperson for the peacekeeping group said UNIFIL could not yet confirm the Israeli allegation that the tunnels were dug by Hezbollah, but said it was continuing to investigate the matter. Who else is on the list of suspects? The Easter Bunny?!
• The latest PR mishap for Yair, son of PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been temporarily blocked by Facebook, which removed his anti-Muslim post calling to avenge the death of the two IDF soldiers killed in the terror attack in Givat Assaf. While Netanyahu Junior should probably be more careful with his language on social media, it’s telling that some media, having given scant attention to the actual terror attacks, made this story their lead item on Israel.
• Has the UN run out of excuses to bash Israel? Surely not but the General Assembly did take a break to approve a resolution urging Iran to stop its widespread use of arbitrary detention and expressing serious concern at its “alarmingly high” use of the death penalty.
The Canadian-drafted resolution was adopted by a vote of 84 to 30 with 67 abstentions.
• Knesset members voted to formalize the appointment of PM Benjamin Netanyhau as permanent defense minister to add to the portfolios of foreign minister, health minister, and immigration and absorption minister as well as prime minister.
• Terribly sad news as Rona Ramon, the widow of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, died Monday at the age of 54, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Rona’s husband Ilan lost his life in the 2003 Columbia space shuttle disaster while her son Asaf, who was 21, was killed when his F-16 warplane crashed during a routine training flight in 2009.
• The Australian Labor Party has voted on a resolution at its conference calling on the next Labor government “to recognize Palestine as a state.” This comes swiftly on the heels of the Australian government’s recognition of “west Jerusalem” as Israel’s capital.
Commentary
• Even by Gideon Levy’s low standards, his Haaretz piece “I Feel No Sympathy for the Settlers” including those who are murdered by terrorists, was vomit inducing. Sherri Mandell‘s powerful response is well worth reading:
You don’t have to grieve with the Ish-Rans or mourn with me or others like me or even feel anything for us. But please don’t spread lies about us. Don’t pretend that you know me. Or others like me.
Don’t tell me that because I am a settler I have a lust for revenge. Our son Koby was 13 when he was murdered by terrorists in 2001. I know it won’t matter to you that he and his friend, Yosef Ish-Ran, were in eighth grade when they cut school, went out hiking and, were met by terrorists who beat them to death with stones. Because they were Jews.
Don’t tell the Lemkus family about their lust for revenge. Dahlia Lemkus was stabbed to death in Gush Etzion when she was 26. Dahlia volunteered at Yad Sarah and was working with children with disabilities. Her parents dedicated a social room in the Sukkat David Synagogue (named after another terror victim whose family had a lust for revenge).
• What is the New York Times doing publishing a an unqualified recommendation for an insanely antisemtic book? Yair Rosenberg explains in The Tablet:
Over the weekend, the New York Times Book Review published a full-length interview with Alice Walker, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple. The very first question: “What books are on your nightstand?” Walker replied with four, the second of which was:
“And the Truth Shall Set You Free,” by David Icke. In Icke’s books there is the whole of existence, on this planet and several others, to think about. A curious person’s dream come true.
This passed without comment from the New York Times interviewer, and the publication passed it on to readers without qualification. This is rather remarkable because the book is an unhinged anti-Semitic conspiracy tract written by one of Britain’s most notorious anti-Semites.
• Vivian Bercovici also takes on the New York Times, this time over the actions of Palestinian photojournalist Wissam Nasser, a frequent contributor to the NYT:
Nasser took the opportunity to post photos of three terrorists—including the two killed in Thursday, on his Instagram account with the following comment: “A sad morning that carries with it pride with the martyrs, and honor in resistance. ‘If you lost the way, follow the martyrs.’”
Posted as a “story”, the photos and text automatically delete in 24 hours. However, Eylon Levy, an investigative reporter with i24 news in Israel, screen-grabbed the fleeting post inciting to murder Jewish civilians, which was replayed in his report.
Nasser’s post celebrated mass murder and, by direct association, Hamas, which is considered to be a terrorist organization in virtually all civilized nations. This is not nuanced stuff.
On Friday evening, I asked the Times for comment on this clear and extreme ethical breach, eliciting this prompt reply:
“This photographer is not a New York Times staff photographer (he has freelanced for us). His social media posts have no connection to the Times and do not adhere to our guidelines.”
This statement, however, directly contravenes the Times’ ethical guidelines.
Featured image: CC BY Jon S;
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