News Summary:
Israeli newspapers expressed concern over a video clip in which Israeli soldiers cheered as a sniper brought down a
motionless Palestinian, Russia blamed Israel for the bombing of a military base that killed 14 people, including
four Iranians, and the
President of Honduras canceled his controversial participation in Israel’s 70th
Independence anniversary ceremony making today’s top stories.
**In what Yedioth called a ‘bad film,’
soldiers were heard cheering when a sniper next to them shoots down a motionless
Palestinian who was among protesters at the Gaza fence. The video made the rounds of social media yesterday
and the
Israeli army said it would probe the incident.
Shortly after Russia accused Israel of making an attack on a military base in Syria,
US officials confirmed that Israeli jets had carried out the bombing on a Syrian
air force base, in which 14 people were killed, at least four of them Iranian. Israeli media reported that the
site was an Iranian military base for drones and also said that I
srael had informed the US in advance. Israel did not admit it was responsible
for the attack, but
top Israeli defense officials were pushing for an offensive approach in Syria
against Iran, Haaretz reported.
Russia called it “a dangerous development.”
The attack came when world perception for the Syrian regime was particularly low,
hours after the Syrian army had made a chemical attack on its own civilians, in
Douma. Israel condemned the chemical attack and accused the regime of 'crimes against humanity.’ But
at the UN Security Council,
Syria insisted it did not launch a chemical attack, killing 60 people and
injuring over 1000 in the city of Douma. Oddly,
white supremacists defended Syria’s leader Bashar al-Assad, saying the chemical
attack was fake news and that it was just an effort by Israel and ‘globalists’ to keep US troops in the Middle
East.
Commentary/Analysis:
Marching in Gaza, my brother risks death - to feel free (Muhammad Shehada,
Haaretz+) My teenage brother risks snipers and tear gas at the marches near the
Israeli border. But, like all Gazans, he feels he's dying a slow death anyway.
Where is Jewish wisdom? The thousands of Gazan demonstrators can be stopped without a single
bullet (Ephraim Ganor,
Maariv) We must also ask how after so many years of confrontation with
Palestinian demonstrators, creative means have not yet been developed to deal with the phenomenon. Thus, the
IDF continues with the same old methods of firing rubber bullets, tear gas canisters and live bullets.
Nu, open fire already (Odeh Bisharat,
Haaretz+) Palestinians realize that nonviolence is their winning card, but
Israelis neither hear nor see. And if they speak, it’s only in the language of force.
Israel 2018: There is something to be ashamed of (Ron Kaufman,
Maariv) Miri Regev may be right in demanding that we not address now what will
happen on Israel's 80th Independence Day. Ten years is a long time. Maybe then there will be a dictatorship
here, so why waste time on what will happen if a dictatorship can be practiced right now?
Assad ridicules Trump with Syria chemical attack as Israel anxiously awaits next moves (Zvi
Bar'el,
Haaretz+) Netanyahu fears that the U.S. will withdraw from Syria and let Iran
and Russia take over. Assad's use of chemical weapons is a display of ownership aimed at the Trump
administration.
With friends like Trump and Putin, Israel has no one to rely on (Alex Fishman,
Yedioth/Ynet) If Monday’s strike in Syria was indeed carried out by Israeli
planes, it wasn’t just a military move but a diplomatic defiance of both Russia and the US: If you fail to do
what it takes to curb the Iranian entrenchment on our border, we’ll launch our own military operations.
Russia Claimed Syria Shot Down Israeli Missiles. Is Assad Revealing New Capabilities? (Yaniv
Kubovich,
Haaretz+) In the past, such reports came from Syria and were considered an
attempt to minimize humiliation over the strikes. This time, Russia announced it.
The chemical attack in Syria raises serious questions about the readiness of the Israeli home
front (Zvika Gendelman,
Maariv) Chemical weapons are in the hands of all kinds of potential adversaries,
and one missile is sufficient to confront us with a phenomenon we have not encountered before. I will be more
relaxed to know that every Israeli has a strong protective kit.
Israel signals Russia and Iran: We're not scared of military conflict (Ron Ben-Yishai,
Ynet) The attack on the T-4 base in Syria, which was attributed to Israel,
raises the tensions between Jerusalem and Moscow and sends a message that Israel will not allow Iranian
military presence in Syria, even at the cost of friction with Russia.
Israel is now directly confronting Iran in Syria (Amos Harel,
Haaretz+) Israel won't say it is indeed behind the overnight strike in Syria,
but admitted in the past of attacking the T-4 air base. Iran continuing to establish a foothold in Syria may
encourage an aggressive Israeli approach.
Another shadow war: The confrontation between Israel and Iran becomes direct (Tal Lev-Ram,
Maariv) One cannot ignore the fact that in two months, at least in two
well-known incidents, Iranian fighters and officers were killed by an action attributed to the IDF. In light
of Iran's continued entrenchment in Syria, Israel decided to remove the gloves.
Russian response to Syria strike tests coordination with Israel (Yoav Zitun,
Ynet) After agreeing on a system to avoid ‘misunderstandings’ between Israeli
and Russian forces in Syria in 2015, Netanyahu made the issue his top priority in his many meetings with
Putin. Monday’s attack on the T-4 airbase near Homs and the unusually harsh Russian response are now putting
this system to the test, following signs of tensions between the countries in recent months.
An opportunity for change: Kill Assad, and the sooner the better (Prof. Arieh Eldad,
Maariv) After the war ends, Syria will again become a dangerous enemy to Israel,
and perhaps even more dangerous than it was. Assad's cruel use of murderous chemical weapons gives us an
opportunity to change this course of events.
A sad excuse for objectivity: My interview with the BBC, a broadcaster in Israel's pocket (Amira
Hass,
Haaretz+) Use the term 'disputed territory' for the West Bank and you're
ignoring the fact that Palestinians are subjected under Israeli rule without rights for 50 years.
Elections in the age of fake news and social media (Nimrod Dweck,
Ynet) Taking advantage of legitimate tools, political strategists can fill
newsfeeds with doctored, false information presented as facts. They can spread lies through hundreds of fake
accounts, bolstered by real users who accepted friend requests from fake ones. Slowly voters come to believe
that the lies are truth. Fake news as a methodology, orchestrated for a purpose, served up to a willing and
captivated audience. [Writer is VP of Darkenu, the largest non-partisan civil society movement in Israel,
which aims to organize, amplify, and empower the moderate majority of Israelis to exert influence on
government policy and on the public discourse.
East Jerusalem Is the Double-edged Sword of Israel's Capital (
Haaretz Editorial) Israel has rightfully earned the suspicions of the
Palestinian residents of Jerusalem.
Straightening out to the Right: The Jews in Europe may find themselves in a dangerous situation
(Dr. Kirill Pfefferman,
Maariv) Whether it is conservative or traditional parties or a more radical
right that grows from right to traditional right, its attitude toward Jews is characterized by several things
they hold in common.
Trump brings Nixon’s Madman Theory to tense Syrian standoff (Chemi Shalev,
Haaretz+) It’s hard to stay calm when a volatile and unpredictable U.S.
president goes up against wily foxes such as Putin, Erdogan, Assad, Nasrallah and even Netanyahu.
A politician who betrayed public trust cannot return to public life. Ever. (MK Mickey Rosenthal,
Maariv) I have nothing personal against Ehud Olmert. After serving his sentence
and paying his debt to society I admit and leave. He deserves a second chance, but with all due respect - not
at our expense.
Israel needs Olmert (Rafi Eitan,
Maariv) Israeli society is undergoing fundamental and personal changes and
someone with a personality like Olmert is capable of contributing, balancing, and perhaps directing the social
system in Israel in positive directions.
On Asylum Seekers, Netanyahu Shows He Is the Exact Opposite of a Leader (Nehemia Shtrasler,
Haaretz+) Netanyahu's boasts of launching the Egypt border fence are a stretch
of reality meant to hide the failures of a leader enslaved to public opinion.
