Today’s Top Stories
1. With Ziad Abu Ein’s autopsy complete, Israeli and PA officials disagree on how to interpet the findings. The 55-year-old PA minister without portfolio died after an altercation with IDF soldiers yesterday. More on all this at YNet.
I was especially impressed with Sky News coverage. Reporter Tom Rayner walked viewers through the footage, clearly explaining what’s known and what’s not. Judge for yourself.
. . . even when cameras are around an incident like this, it’s not necessarily clear exactly what happened, and that is why an investigation is going to be so important to determine exactly what happened in this incident. But in the meantime, one thing is one percent sure. Both sides will find their narrative and find footage that supports that.
See also HonestReporting’s more in-depth assessment of the coverage: Will the Media Report What Actually Killed a Palestinian Protester?
2. Reports conflict over whether the PA’s halting security coordination with Israel and moving forward with unilateral statehood efforts. Saeb Erekat was quoted by the Times of Israel saying that an announcement to that effect would take place in the coming hours. But according to YNet, Eerekat said security coordination would be reviewed. Fact-checking Erekat’s always a wise move — YNet adds:
However, a source in Ramallah told Ynet that the question of halting coordination is merely declarative. “The security coordination will continue, but in a quieter fashion,” said the source.
3. It’s unlikely Beirut will agree (at least publicly), but press reports say Israel’s considering security coordination with Lebanon against ISIS.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Sweden can’t take legal action on behalf of its nationals against Israel over the Mavi Marmara raid.
“We have no jurisdiction over acts committed on Israeli territory,” Attorps said in the statement.
• Switzerland’s moving ahead with plans to convene parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention to discuss human rights in the Palestinian areas. Haaretz reports that Israel will boycott the conference; the US, Canada and Australia likely will too.
• It’s not ordinary for foreign reporters to publicly snipe over each other’s reporting. Reuters’ Jerusalem bureau chief Luke Baker must really have an axe to grind with either Har Homa or Bloomberg News.
Commentary/Analysis
• Worth reading: Eugene Kontorovich weighs in on whether Israel is really “isolated.”
Rather, the specter of “isolation” is a demagogic tool wielded for political purposes. As such, it is extremely dangerous, because such things can become self-fulfilling prophecies.
• For more commentary/analysis, see Amos Harel (A critical moment for Israel-PA security coordination), Dan Margalit (What will Abbas do with Abu Ein’s death?), and Emmanuel Navon (Israel should join the ICC and give the Palestinians a taste of their own medicine).
Rest O’ the Roundup
• The Guardian’s long-time editor in chief, Alan Rusbridger, is leaving his position and moving up the ladder to chair the trust which owns the paper. It’ll be awhile till a replacement is appointed, but Joe Pompeo and Harry Lambert look at potential successors. In case it interests anyone, Jonathan Freedland’s in the conversation.
• Why waste a perfectly good hostage? ISIS reportedly wants to sell the body of James Foley for $1 million. Foley, a free-lance journalist working in Syria, was beheaded by ISIS in August.
• ISIS sympathizers in Egypt’s military? Cue the ominous music.
Featured image: CC BY flickr/Sjoerd Lammers; Rusbridger CC BY-NC-SA flickr/Internaz
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
