Daily Briefing: News of the Week in Review (Apr 24, 2019)

The incredible story of our people has no parallel. Even in bitter exile, under unbearable conditions, we maintained our unique identity. We did not surrender. We kept our faith. Generation after generation, we read in the Haggadah, ‘Next year in Jerusalem!’ We held on to our hope. And that hope, my friends, became reality.” – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu records a Passover greeting on social media.  (Algemeiner, Apr. 19, 2019)

“Trump’s decisive actions related to Israel have brought a new level of respect for the United States in the region, and greater stability, and it has resulted in peak approval ratings among evangelicals and others who care about the Holy Land. The Trump administration should stay the course, continuing to avoid the ‘land for peace’ proposals, and the policies that have prevented Israelis from building in Judea and Samaria, which have repeatedly failed to work. This looks even more sensible in light of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent pledge to extend sovereignty over these areas.” — Tony Perkins, a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives penned a joint opinion piece with Samaria Regional Council chairman Yossi Dagan in the Washington Times praising President Trump’s recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory and urging the president not to impose a settlement freeze on Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. (Arutz Sheva, Apr.19, 2019)

“Basically, you’re saying: Give us the deal we demand, or no deal. That’s consistent with Palestinian prior attempts. How has that worked out for Palestinians? Do you want to lead your people to opportunity and prosperity or just keep saying the same tired lines over & over again?” — Jason Greenblatt, the U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East negotiations, in a Twitter debate with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh over the direction of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. He responded to PM Shtayyeh’s reiteration of Palestinian demands.  (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 19, 2019)

“The U.S. should “not just support one country, which is now run by a right-wing, dare I say, racist government.” – Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said at a CNN Town Hall meeting in New Hampshire. Even though he claims to be “100% pro-Israel,” soon after declaring his candidacy for president, Sanders hired two senior advisers with anti-Israel backgrounds. (WIN, Apr. 23, 2019)

“In the past five years, SJP has resorted to intimidation tactics that have made me, my colleagues and my students unwelcome and unsafe on our own campus. The decision to confer an award on SJP, renders other NYU awards empty of content, and suspect of the reckless selection process.” – Turing Award winner Judea Pearl (father of Daniel Pearl who was murdered by Islamic terrorists in 2001)) wrote in a letter to NYU President Andrew Hamilton renouncing his status as a distinguished alumni of New York University following its decision to award its Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter for “extraordinary and positive impact on the university campus.”  (WIN, Apr. 17, 2019)

“Trump and Netanyahu prefer the same media tactics. First, it’s a negative campaign. Instead of speaking about yourself, you criticize your competitor. Second, they divide and conquer, capitalizing on schisms within their societies — for Netanyahu, it was divisions between Arabs and Jews, Sephardim and Ashkenazim, the left and right, the religious and secular. Third, both Netanyahu and Trump portrayed the media as campaigning against them.” — Mass media expert Dr. Gabriel Weimann, a professor of communication at the University of Haifa explaining how the “Americanization” of Israel’s political landscape and the rising prominence of social media in election campaigns contributed to this month’s election victory by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party.  (WIN, Apr. 21, 2019)

“I may not remain among you for very long; it is possible that the entire first level of leadership could be killed, including myself. Measures and procedures have already been taken to be ready even if this extreme case happens.” — Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah told top commanders in a private meeting after warning them of a pending war with Israel this summer that he says Israel will lose. (Jerusalem Post, Apr. 21, 2019)

“We’ll no longer grant any exemptions. We are going to zero across the board. We’ll continue to enforce sanctions and monitor compliance and any nation or entity interacting with Iran should do its diligence and err on the side of caution; the risks are simply not going to be worth the benefits. How long we’ll remain there at zero depends solely on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s senior leaders.” — Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said referring to an end to the temporary exemptions eight countries were granted that allowed them to continue importing Iranian oil and gas, as well as the length of time that these sanctions will be in place.  (National Review, Apr. 22, 2019)

“In a complicated process against the US Central Intelligence Agency, its espionage network was identified with 290 spies in different countries, including Iran.” — Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said, adding that dozens of spies who were working in the country’s sensitive sections were identified and arrested. (MEHR, Apr. 19, 2019)

“Marvellous, absolutely marvellous the Israeli Army, the best financed, best trained, best-equipped army in the world caught on camera beating up Palestinian children for the fun of it. May God forgive them. What would Jim Royle say on an Easter Monday?” — Member of Parliament for the UK’s Labour Party Grahame Morris retweeted a video that he falsely claimed showed IDF soldiers assaulting Palestinian children. The video was, in fact, of Guatemalan police officers. (Algemeiner, Apr. 22, 2019)

“The concept of ‘Word Crimes’ is valid and usefully applied to many sides of the debates and polemics surrounding Israel. It refers to how language in the Arab-Israeli dispute has been manipulated to advance partisan agendas. Terms like apartheid, colonialism, indigenous, Holocaust and more have evolved and have been applied and misapplied. No one issue of any journal could cover it all. Some critics of this issue of Israel Studies have taken a view contrary to [Arie M.] Dubnov. They maintain some essays could have been more effective if grounded in deeper scholarship, not that the inquiry or the conclusions lack merit.” — Ilan Troen, an Israel studies professor at Brandeis University who also serves as the editor of Israel Studies responding to criticism launched against a special journal dedicated to pushing back against anti-Zionist rhetoric.  Edited by the Association for Israel Studies’ president Donna Robinson Divine, the issue is titled “Word Crimes:  Reclaiming the Language of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” Dubnov, the Max Ticktin Chair of Israel Studies at George Washington University argued that “the [journal’s] ‘alternative dictionary’ appears designed to provide talking points for anti-BDS and pro- ‘Hasbara’ efforts and does not serve an academic purpose.” (Haaretz, Apr. 18, 2019)

“On occasion, clichés emerge which offer the best description of reality, and one such case is Sunday’s report by the NY Times’ correspondents … David M. Halbfinger and Miriam Berger, headlined …: “For Palestinian Families, ‘No Light at the End of the Tunnel.” Yes, absolutely … for once the Times got it right: these Arab families will never, ever be redeemed by terror tunnels, nor by rockets, suicide bombing … – thank you, the newspaper of record, for finally realizing why these people have been suffering without a chance for ever attaining the life so freely enjoyed by their brothers and sisters on the other side of the green line: it’s because they are being led by violent, murderous, professional thugs who become rich at their expense. Remove the tunnel, this fortunate glitch of a headline suggests, and there’ll be light, a lot of it.” – writes journalist David Israel. The NYT article describes Palestinians’ depression following Netanyahu’s fifth election win.  (Jewish Press, Apr. 22, 2019)

SHORT TAKES

KUSHNER: TRUMP PEACE PLAN ENTAILS ‘TOUGH COMPROMISES’ FOR BOTH ISRAEL AND PALESTINIANS (NYC) — Speaking at the TIME 100 Summit, Presidential Advisor Jared Kushner noted that the peace proposal would be published after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan ended in early June. He called their approach “unconventional.”  “Normally they start with a process and then hope that the process leads to a resolution for something to happen. What we’ve done is the opposite…we started with a solution and then we’ll work on a process to try to get there,” he said, adding that the document was “very detailed.”  (Algemeiner, Apr. 23, 2019)

‘ARAB LEADERS PRESSURING PALESTINIANS TO ACCEPT TRUMP PLAN’ (Ramallah) —  According to a report by the Qatari Alkhaleej Online outlet, a member of the Central Committee of PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ ruling Fatah party said that Arab leaders – led by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, are applying “political and financial pressure” on the Palestinian Authority to accept the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’ – a framework for a final status agreement between Israel and the PA drawn up by the White House. (Arutz Sheva, Apr. 22, 2019)

ISRAEL HELPED SRI LANKA PREPARE FOR MEGA-ATTACKS (Sri Lanka) — Sri Lankan emergency teams responding to a string of deadly bombings across the island were trained in part by Israel, in a special program to prepare first responders in the Sri Lankan capital to handle a variety of large-scale disasters – including multiple terror attacks. At least 207 people were killed in the mass attacks on Easter, including some 30 foreign nationals. (Arutz Sheva, Apr. 22, 2019)

EXIT POLL SHOWS JEWISH COMEDIAN DEFEATING UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (Ukraine) — An exit poll from Ukraine’s presidential election is giving Jewish comedian Volodymyr Zelensky – who plays a high school teacher ranting about government corruption who is elected president on a TV series – a commanding lead over Poroshenko. Results from the exit poll released Sunday after voting stations closed showed Zelensky receiving 73.2% of the nationwide vote; Poroshenko got 25.3%. (WIN, Apr. 21, 2019)

ARSON REPORTED AT RUSSIA’S LARGEST YESHIVA DURING PASSOVER (Moscow) — An arson fire was set at the largest yeshiva in Russia as the congregants were gathered there for a Passover meal. No one was reported injured at the Torat Chaim school in an eastern Moscow suburb. The fire was set in a storage area for kosher meat and that swastikas were drawn at the yeshiva’s entrance. (NYT, Apr. 19, 2019)

BROTHER OF ISLAMIST BEHIND 2012 JEWISH SCHOOL MASSACRE IN FRANCE SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS IN JAIL (Toulouse) — The Paris court of appeals found Abdelkader Merah guilty of complicity in the seven murders committed by his brother, Mohamed, in and around the city of Toulouse in March 2012, that included Rabbi Jonathan Sandlers, his two young sons, and eight-year-old Miriam Monsonega at the Ozar Hatorah Jewish School in Toulouse. (Algemeiner, Apr. 19, 2019)

DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY STUDENTS PLEDGE ‘ACTIVE SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE,’ ENDORSE ISRAEL BOYCOTT (Dublin) — The referendum — which was voted on by 1,764 students, 80 percent of whom were in favor — called on the DCU Students’ Union to “adopt a stance in active solidarity with Palestine” through BDS. (Algemeiner, Apr. 19, 2019)

US SENATORS URGE ISSUING PASSPORTS RECOGNIZING GOLAN HEIGHTS AS ISRAEL (Washington) — A group of 10 Republican senators sent a letter to President Trump, “urging the administration to take necessary steps to fully implement the proclamation, such as directing the state department to treat the Golan Heights as the state of Israel’s sovereign territory to issue passports to Americans born there.” Senators Tom Cotton (R– Arkansas), Ted Cruz (R – Texas) were among those who signed the letter. (WIN, Apr. 19, 2019)

MUELLER REPORT: TRUMP ATTEMPTED TO THWART ANTI- ISRAEL RESOLUTION (NY) –  According to a report by Barak Ravid for Channel 13 News, Trump, his adviser Jared Kushner and former national security advisor Michael Flynn, worked with several foreign governments to prevent the security council resolution condemning the Jewish presence over the so-called green line in December 2016. During his interrogation by the FBI (as indicated in the Mueller report) Flynn said that Trump and his team saw the thwarted decision as a significant issue. (Arutz Sheva, Apr. 18, 2019)

KUSHNER CONVINCED TRUMP TO DROP PALESTINIAN REFUGEE ISSUE FROM AGENDA (Washington) — A campaign by White House adviser Jared Kushner to defund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as a way of ridding Palestinian Arabs of refugee status is outlined in an email from January 2018, disclosed by the Foreign Policy diplomatic news outlet. (WIN, Apr. 21, 2019)

TOP IDF GENERAL: HEZBOLLAH STILL PLANS TO INVADE PARTS OF NORTHERN ISRAEL IN FUTURE WAR (Northern Israel) — Hezbollah has not abandoned its plans to invade parts of northern Israel, outgoing GOC Northern Commander Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick told Ynet.  He also said he had “no doubt” the IDF would win any potential war in the north. (Algemeiner, Apr. 18, 2019)

US OFFERS $10 MILLION FOR INFO TO DISRUPT HEZBOLLAH FINANCES (Washington) — The State and Treasury departments say the money will be paid to people who provide information such as the names of Hezbollah donors and financiers, bank records, customs receipts or evidence of real estate transactions. The payments will be made by the State Department’s “Rewards for Justice” program that usually offers cash for information leading to the whereabouts of wanted terrorists. This is the first time the program has been used to target a financial network. (NYT, Apr. 22, 2019)

GERMAN NAZI CAMP GUARD, 92, CHARGED AS ACCESSORY TO THOUSANDS OF MURDERS (Hamburg) — Hamburg prosecutors accused the ex-Nazi, identified only as Bruno D., of aiding and abetting 5,230 cases of murder during the almost nine months he spent on duty at a concentration camp watch-tower at the end of WWII. (Algemeiner, Apr. 18, 2019)

SPONSORS DEMAND REFUND AFTER ANTISEMITIC RAP AT UNC GAZA CONFERENCE, WHILE LAWMAKER CALLS FOR FEDERAL PROBE (Chapel Hill) — The fallout over a conference hosted at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill about the Gaza Strip continued in recent days, as a member of Congress called for an investigation into public funding of the event and some sponsors demanded their money back. The outcry centered on a performance by Palestinian rapper Tamer Nafar on March 22, the first night of the three-day “Conflict over Gaza” conference, who sang a self-described “antisemitic song.” (Algemeiner, Apr. 18, 2019)

MUSLIM WOMAN BRAVES THREATS TO SERVE IN IDF INFANTRY BATTALION (Israel) — Cpl. N., who prays five times a day and wears a hijab, dreams of a career in the IDF, explaining, “If we don’t fight together, Arabs and Jews, we won’t have a country.”  She serves in a mixed gender infantry battalion. (WIN, Apr. 18, 2019)

JEWISH GROUP AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND LAMENTS ‘INSENSITIVE’ PLAN FOR BDS VOTE ON PASSOVER (Maryland) — A resolution supporting the controversial boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel will be considered by student leaders at the University of Maryland next week, as Jewish students celebrate Passover. In an email to community members, Maryland Hillel staff member Elan Burman said the bill was submitted to UMD’s Student Government Association (SGA) and will be brought to a vote on April 24, when many students will be away for Passover.  (WIN, Apr. 18, 2019)

CALIFORNIA RABBI FINED $6000 FOR REPORTING SYNAGOGUE VANDALISM TO POLICE (Woodland Hills) — A California judge fined an Orthodox Jewish rabbi over $6,000 for reporting the vandalism of his synagogue to the police. The incident involves the Hebrew Discovery Center, located in Woodland Hills, CA. Even though one person in the group was charged with vandalism, theft, and trespass, the case was dismissed because prosecutors did not have enough evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. (WIN, Apr. 21, 2019)

BENNETT, NEW RIGHT CONCEDES DEFEAT (Jerusalem) — After days of conflict with the Central Elections Committee and demands to recount votes to prove that they had, in fact, earned the 1,400 necessary to enter the Knesset, the New Right party of Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked conceded defeat on Tuesday, closing the chapter of Israel’s 2019 elections.(Jewish Press, Apr. 17, 2019)

BILLIONAIRE HAMAS LEADER HANIYEH FORGOES PAYCHECK IN SOLIDARITY WITH PRISONERS (Gaza Strip) — Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh announced that he will forego his paycheck in solidarity with Hamas terrorists incarcerated in Israeli jails whose monthly stipends have been frozen by the Palestinian Authority (PA). Instead, he will disperse his salary among several of their families. Haniyeh, who currently serves as Hamas’ political chief, made the announcement following mounting voices of dissent in Gaza Strip and protests following the dire financial situation in the Strip. (Jewish Press, Apr. 17, 2019)

NEW REPORT SHOWS STEEP INCREASE IN ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE IN GERMAN CAPITAL (Berlin) – Violent antisemitic incidents in Berlin more than doubled during the last year, against the background of an overall increase in the number acts of Jew-hatred in the German capital, a report by a leading monitoring group disclosed.  The report — published by Berlin’s Research and Information Center on Antisemitism (RIAS) — recorded a total of 1,083 antisemitic incidents during 2018, compared to 951 the previous year. (Algemeiner, Apr. 17, 2019)

1941 PICTURE SHOWS PRUCHNIK WAS BURNING JEWS IN EFFIGY LONG BEFORE WJC’S LATEST PROTEST (Poland) — Robert Singer, CEO of the World Jewish Congress, said that his organization is feeling “disgust and outrage” over reports that a small town in southeastern Poland beat and then burned an effigy of Judas Iscariot looking like a Haredi Jew, beards, side curls, fringes and all, as part of the Easter ritual. (Jewish Press, Apr. 22, 2019)

US ANNOUNCES END TO SANCTION WAIVERS ON IRANIAN OIL IMPORTS (Washington) — The Trump administration announced Monday that it won’t renew waivers for countries currently importing Iranian oil. China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey will face sanctions once their present waivers expire on May 2. Greece, Italy, and Taiwan have already wound down their Iranian oil imports to zero, according to the Washington Post. (Jewish Press, Apr. 22, 2019)

WINNIPEG JEWISH COMMUNITY REELING AFTER ATTACK AT BERMAX CAFFÉ (Winnipeg) — A woman was assaulted, and a Winnipeg restaurant was spray-painted with hateful graffiti. The inside of the restaurant was almost entirely destroyed, with plates and glasses smashed to pieces, tables, and chairs flipped over and other items scattered across the floor, according to police. (CBC News, Apr. 19, 2019)