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Coronavirus Exposes Hamas Disregard for Gaza Human Rights
BY PAUL SHINDMAN  MAY 7, 2020
Gaza human rights
Gaza’s human rights situation under Hamas has always been precarious. But the corona crisis has exposed the terror group’s violations, especially regarding the two Israeli civilians held hostage and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers it seized.

Lt. Hadar Goldin and Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul were killed during Operation Protective Edge, the 2014 Gaza conflict sparked by the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas members.

The two Israeli civilians, both with known mental health issues, are Avera Mengistu of Ashkelon who crossed into Gaza on foot on September 7, 2014 and Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin from the Negev town of Hura who entered the Strip on April 20, 2015.

Hamas has refused to release any details of the civilians nor allow any international humanitarian group to visit them to ascertain their condition, as required by international humanitarian law.

The 2011 Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange saw Hamas trade a live IDF soldier they had held captive incommunicado for five years in exchange for 1,027 terrorists imprisoned in Israel. Now, Hamas expects Israel to release Hamas prisoners and other convicted terrorists from Israeli jails as the price for the return of the hostages and the dead soldiers.

Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul
Coronavirus and Gaza Human Rights
With the outbreak of the coronavirus in Gaza, the hostage situation took a strange turn. Hamas leaders, fearful of the pandemic, realized that years of investment in weapons had left their health system perilously unfit for an epidemic. The group sent out feelers to arrange a hostage exchange, but it is unknown what the price will be.

Hamas leader Yahye Sinwar wants Israel to provide ventilators to help fight the coronavirus in Gaza, and in typical Hamas fashion that if Israel didn’t supply them he would “take them by force from Israel and stop the breathing of 6 million Israelis.”

There is little argument that the Hamas terror group rules Gaza with an iron-fist. When they take time out from criticizing Israel, human rights organizations sometimes produce token reports and recognize that “Hamas authorities in Gaza routinely arrest and torture peaceful critics and opponents” while noting the “systematic practice of torture by Palestinian authorities.”

The outbreak of coronavirus in Gaza has not stopped Hamas’ illegal behavior towards Gazans. On April 6, 2020 Hamas arrested peace activist Rami Aman for the crime of discussing life in the Strip amid the corona threat in a Zoom conference call with Israelis. Aman has not been heard from since.

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The International Law Hamas Disregards
But the issue of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza is not one of coronavirus in Gaza, but rather adherence by Hamas to international human rights laws.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is recognized as the main global organization monitoring prisoners in conflicts and its database contains the international human rights laws governing the Gaza situation. Hamas denied the ICRC access to Gilad Shalit and continues to ignore international law by refusing to allow the ICRC to see Mengistu and al-Sayed.

The right of the ICRC to visit detainees in international armed conflicts is provided for in the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions. According to these provisions, the ICRC has full liberty to select the places it wishes to visit and must be able to interview the detainees without witnesses. The duration and frequency of such visits may not be restricted.

International Humanitarian Law, Rule 124: ICRC Access to Persons Deprived of Their Liberty

Hisham al-Sayed and Avraham Mengistu
While some anti-Israeli advocates argue that Hamas is not a state player and is thus not subject to Rule 124, Human Rights Watch clearly stated its opinion that the “armed conflict between Israel and Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups is governed by international treaty as well as the rules of customary international humanitarian law.”

HRW specifically referred to the Geneva Conventions that sets forth minimum standards for all parties to a non-international armed conflict – that is, between a state and a non-state armed group.

“The customary rules of humanitarian law, based on established state practice, bind all parties to an armed conflict, whether states or non-state armed groups.”

ICRCIn 2017 the ICRC itself issued a demand that “the Hamas authorities to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law to the five Israeli nationals who went missing in Gaza between July 2014 and 2016, and remain unaccounted for.”

“The ICRC has consistently reminded the Hamas authorities, at the highest level, of their legal and humanitarian obligations, and told them that intentionally withholding information about missing persons is acting in violation of humanitarian law.”

Other Violations
Hamas flaunting of international law does not limit itself to violations against Israelis. The Iran-backed terror group is known for violating other international human rights laws by

Using Palestinians as human shields by positioning rocket launchers, tunnels, weapons depots and command and control centers in the vicinity of homes, schools, hospitals, mosques and UN facilities.
Abusing children through brainwashing indoctrination, military training and digging tunnels.
Using rockets, mortars and suicide bombers to indiscriminately attack and kill Israeli civilians.
Carrying out mass street executions of Palestinians without trials.
Further violations associated with the Gaza border clashes and incendiary terror balloons.
A 2018 UN report on human rights noted that “In 2013, Hamas proposed a new Penal Code for Gaza based on Sharia principles … The draft law includes a list of punishments, such as flogging or lashing, hand amputation, and the death penalty, that breach fundamental human rights.”

Gaza human rights

Whither Human Rights in Gaza?
From the human rights point of view nothing has changed with or without the issue of the coronavirus in Gaza. Countries around the globe are facing health and economic crises from the pandemic, but the coronavirus in Gaza is nothing more than another bargaining tool for Hamas to use in its obsessive quest for a victorious war to defeat Israel.

You know the situation is bad when the UN Human Rights Council, well-known as a bastion of anti-Israel vitriol, now dedicates space in its regular report to detail Hamas human rights abuses. The UN itself admits Hamas carries out illegal arrests, tortures detainees, intimidates anybody who criticizes them and holds over 1,800 political prisoners “in reform and rehabilitation centers.”

Related reading: Israel and the Dysfunctional UN Human Rights Council

The January 2020 report singled out the “brutal crackdown by Gaza security forces” in March, 2019 against impoverished Gazans who were protesting rising living costs under Hamas’ oppressive rule. Hamas forces brutally beat men, women and children, arresting up to 1,000 and leaving many hospitalized in serious condition.

The international community has a sad record of being unwilling to even attempt to get Hamas to comply with international human rights laws and respect Palestinian human rights, let alone to pressure Hamas to allow the ICRC to ascertain if the Israeli hostages are even alive. Even if international interlocutors help broker a hostage exchange, such a deal will indeed obtain their freedom, but will leave Hamas in the same state ready and willing to abuse human rights to its own ends.

There is no expectation at all from any quarters that the radical Islamic terror group will ever comply with international laws. Despite documented recognition by the international community that Hamas is a serial human rights violator, those same countries show their impotence and have abandoned the Palestinians to be perennially abused by their Hamas masters – leaving Israel alone to face the problem.

Enjoyed reading this article? Follow the HonestReporting page on Facebook to read more articles debunking news bias and smears, as well as others explaining Israel’s history, politics, and international affairs. Click here to learn more!

Featured image: CC0 BY Pixabay, CC0 Unsplash; hands CC0 Pixabay;


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Your bite-sized Israel news roundup
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High Court and Knesset Pave Way for Unity Gov't
1
Israel's Supreme Court dismissed petitions against the Likud-Blue and White national unity agreement, and the Knesset passed a package of legislation to enable rivals Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz to rotate as prime ministers. The developments pave the way for the new government to be sworn in on May 13.

The 11 justices unanimously agreed that Benjamin Netanyahu's indictments on corruption charges don't preclude him from forming a coalition. His trial begins on May 24.

The justices also ruled that the agreement doesn't violate the law, though they expressed misgivings and noted that legislation currently in the Knesset pipeline could still be challenged.
2
Jerusalem is fuming after a European Union official said Palestinian terror supporters can still get EU funds.
3
Israel is leasing a Heron aerial drone system to Greece for maritime patrols, per Globes. Greek forces are on alert following recent Turkish provocations. The discovery of natural gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean has put Israel, Greece and Cyprus on a collision course with Turkey.
4
A welcome move but what took so long?
Amnesty International calls out PA, Hamas over crackdown on dissent.
5
Get to know Emi Palmor, Israel's former Justice Ministry director-general, who was appointed to Facebook and Instagram's new oversight board.
6
Antisemitism Watch: A web-hosting company removed the domain of a site hosting a neo-Nazi ‘Miss Hitler’ event following Australian Jewish complaints.

Commentary I'm reading

- According to the BBC, antisemitism is just a political choice (Stephen Pollard)

- Palestinians, Israel and the coronavirus (Richard Kemp)

- Palestinians use coronavirus to silence critics (Bassam Tawil)

- Stop boasting, Iran has not left Syria (Alex Fishman)

IsraBite NEWS
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HonestReporting
High Court Finishes Hearings on Unity Deal

1
After two days of hearings on the contitutionality of the national unity agreement, the High Court of Justice is expected to give its ruling by Thursday. Likud and Blue and White had until 2:00 PM today to revise certain clauses which justices threatened to strike down.

 

The judges also hinted that they're not keen to abrogate the overall power-sharing deal.

2
Jerusalem Post: A former Palestinian security prisoner made an unusual petition to Israel's Supreme Court.

 

Mohammed Aref Massad, now living in Haifa, wants Israel to stop transferring tax revenues to the PA and instead distribute the money directly to Palestinian workers and needy families. Massad's petition cited PA corruption and terror stipends.

3
An arms warehouse and a military research facility run by Iranian-backed militias in Syria were hit by airstrikes presumably carried out by Israel last night.

4
Egyptian military: We've destroyed over 3,000 Gaza tunnels in the past five years.

5
Corona news: Palestinian workers returned to Israel for the first time since the crisis broke out.

 

Mahmoud Abbas extended the PA's state of emergency 30 days amid concerns of a new outbreak during Ramadan celebrations.
Meanwhile, Palestinians stranded abroad by closures -- mostly students and medical patients -- are gradually returning to their West Bank homes after Jordan and the PA agreed on a repatriation plan.

 

Woulda Qudda Shoulda: Public health considerations won out as Iran cancelled its annual Israel-bashing Quds Day rallies.

6
Iranian agents are reportedly delivering "suitcases stuffed with £800,000 in cash to Hezbollah terrorists despite the Islamic state begging for financial help to deal with coronavirus."

7
Antisemitism Watch: Troubling Holocaust imagery and rhetoric continues at stay-at-home protests in US state capitols. Lithuanian tourism chiefs were condemned for an ‘immoral’ PR stunt in an ongoing fight over (and literally over) a Jewish cemetery. The president of Alberta, Canada’s largest union apologized for using an antisemitic stereotype to criticize a $2-an-hour increase in wages for the province's health-care aides.

Video: Justice for All… Except for Israel

text
Commentary I'm reading

- The contortions and collusions of ICC's Bensouda (Col. Richard Kemp)

- Under cover of COVID-19, seems to intensify its attack on Iran in Syria (Amos Harel)

- China’s coronavirus cover-up and the implications for Israel (Ariel Ben Solomon)

- How to rescue civil discourse on Israel (Amb. Alan Baker)

- Where is the High Court going with the fate of Netanyahu? (Yonah Jeremy Bob)

- To sidestep right-wing pressure, High Court invites Israelis into the courtroom (Haviv Rettig Gur)

- Germany is right to see Hezbollah for what it really is (The National, staff-ed)

- Germany's partial ban of Hezbollah: A half-measure (Soeren Kern)


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High Court Finishes Hearings on Unity Deal

1
After two days of hearings on the contitutionality of the national unity agreement, the High Court of Justice is expected to give its ruling by Thursday. Likud and Blue and White had until 2:00 PM today to revise certain clauses which justices threatened to strike down.

The judges also hinted that they're not keen to abrogate the overall power-sharing deal.

2
Jerusalem Post: A former Palestinian security prisoner made an unusual petition to Israel's Supreme Court.

Mohammed Aref Massad, now living in Haifa, wants Israel to stop transferring tax revenues to the PA and instead distribute the money directly to Palestinian workers and needy families. Massad's petition cited PA corruption and terror stipends.

3
An arms warehouse and a military research facility run by Iranian-backed militias in Syria were hit by airstrikes presumably carried out by Israel last night.

4
Egyptian military: We've destroyed over 3,000 Gaza tunnels in the past five years.

5
Corona news: Palestinian workers returned to Israel for the first time since the crisis broke out.

 

Mahmoud Abbas extended the PA's state of emergency 30 days amid concerns of a new outbreak during Ramadan celebrations.
Meanwhile, Palestinians stranded abroad by closures -- mostly students and medical patients -- are gradually returning to their West Bank homes after Jordan and the PA agreed on a repatriation plan.

 

Woulda Qudda Shoulda: Public health considerations won out as Iran cancelled its annual Israel-bashing Quds Day rallies.

6
Iranian agents are reportedly delivering "suitcases stuffed with £800,000 in cash to Hezbollah terrorists despite the Islamic state begging for financial help to deal with coronavirus."

7
Antisemitism Watch: Troubling Holocaust imagery and rhetoric continues at stay-at-home protests in US state capitols. Lithuanian tourism chiefs were condemned for an ‘immoral’ PR stunt in an ongoing fight over (and literally over) a Jewish cemetery. The president of Alberta, Canada’s largest union apologized for using an antisemitic stereotype to criticize a $2-an-hour increase in wages for the province's health-care aides.

Video: Justice for All… Except for Israel

text
Commentary I'm reading

- The contortions and collusions of ICC's Bensouda (Col. Richard Kemp)

- Under cover of COVID-19, seems to intensify its attack on Iran in Syria (Amos Harel)

- China’s coronavirus cover-up and the implications for Israel (Ariel Ben Solomon)

- How to rescue civil discourse on Israel (Amb. Alan Baker)

- Where is the High Court going with the fate of Netanyahu? (Yonah Jeremy Bob)

- To sidestep right-wing pressure, High Court invites Israelis into the courtroom (Haviv Rettig Gur)

- Germany is right to see Hezbollah for what it really is (The National, staff-ed)

- Germany's partial ban of Hezbollah: A half-measure (Soeren Kern)

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Germany Outlaws Hezbollah, Raids Mosques

1
Germany outlawed Hezbollah as a terror organization and detained a number of suspected members in raids on mosques and homes associated with it. According to Deutsche Welle, authorities believe there are 1,050 Hezbollah members in Germany.

Until recently, Germany, like most of the European Union, banned Hezbollah's "military wing" but not its "political wing." More on the story at the Times of Israel.

2
Jerusalem Post: "International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda is due on Thursday to file her final position on whether ‘Palestine’ is a state in a dramatic climax of the war crimes allegations against Israel."

Related reading: How the Palestinians Manipulate the International Criminal Court Against Israel.

3
A possible prisoner swap with Hamas appears to be gaining momentum amid Israeli media reports that a hostage negotiator has updated the families.

Hamas -- which holds Israeli civilians Avraham Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, as well as the bodies of Sgt. First Class Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin -- is desparate for medical assistance to fend off the coronavirus.

4
A Palestinian is in custody after trying to run over Israeli security personnel at a West Bank checkpoint. "The suspect stated at the checkpoint that he was trying to carry out an attack and 'wanted to die.'"

5
Antisemitsm Watch: One of Britain's top public health experts and critics of the government's handling of the corona crisis has a history of inflammatory statements about "Zionists." The disclosure sparked calls for the BBC to stop hosting Prof. John Ashton on its shows.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio apologized for his language in a tweet criticizing a Jewish funeral which violated health restrictions. The Brooklyn synagogue which organized the services also apologized.

Antisemitic incidents in Canada reached a record high for the fourth year in a row. Dutch right-wingers shared a meme of Anne Frank snorting cocaine. A Bristol professor attacked UK Labour leader Keir Starmer over "Zionist" money.

Commentary I'm reading


- Is Hamas using coronavirus to gain support in West Bank? (Khaled Abu Toameh)

- Arabic social media campaign compares Jews to coronavirus (Emily Schrader)

- Antisemitism and the coronavirus (Brig.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser)

- Recovering from COVID-19 gives a new meaning to independence (Eli Beer)

- Mourning all victims is right; moral equivalence is not (Jonathan Tobin)

- ‘Counting to 10’ won’t bring peace to the Middle East (Stephen Flatow)

- Keir Starmer can show Labour does not see Zionism as the bogeyman by visiting Israel (Tom Harris)

https://honestreporting.com/farewell-from-managing-editor/
Farewell From HR’s Managing Editor
BY SIMON PLOSKER  APRIL 30, 2020
Farewell Simon Plosker
HonestReporting’s Jerusalem office space is currently shuttered due to coronavirus restrictions. Writing this from my laptop at home almost feels like coming full circle as I prepare to say goodbye to the organization after over 14 years.

Back in November 2005 when I joined HonestReporting, the small editorial team would work remotely, albeit without the aid of Zoom. Israel had just emerged from the depths of the prolonged Palestinian terror campaign of the Second Intifada and social media was still in its relative infancy.

HonestReporting in its first five years of existence had already gained tens of thousands of online supporters and a brand associated with hard-hitting, exciting grassroots activism and immediate response to anti-Israel media bias. I wanted to take this to another level – keeping those qualities that had put HonestReporting on the map while increasing our credibility as an organization that got it right, educating not only our own subscribers but also the media and journalists whom we held to account.

I believe that I succeeded. For all of the inherently hostile journalists that we’ve pursued and held to account, there are also many who recognized our credibility and, sometimes behind the scenes, engaged with us in a positive and constructive way. I even have emails from journalists and editors expressing genuine appreciation for catching their errors. Indeed in today’s heated environment on social media where the discourse often descends into a competition for likes or retweets, it’s hard to believe that there are still media professionals whose reporting or critiques of Israel aren’t driven by malice. But they do exist and I’ve learned a great deal from personally discussing the issues with some of the journalists themselves.

I value enormously the access that my position has given me over the years. Israel is an incredible country in so many ways and HonestReporting has opened my eyes to so many remarkable experiences. Thanks to our regular Missions and field tours, I’ve had the opportunity to visit Israel’s borders, meet with and hear from a broad range of Israeli society, including minority communities, and see and hear so many things that ordinary Israelis, let alone tourists, never experience.

Sadly, I’ve also experienced the other side of that coin. I will never forget treading through the debris of homes in Ashkelon in the aftermath of direct Gaza rocket strikes or running for cover in Sderot during a Code Red alert. Or filming in Safed during the 2006 Second Lebanon War as a siren went off and a Hezbollah Katushya rocket landed nearby as a colleague and I crouched beside a wall. I’ve even descended into a Hamas terror tunnel discovered by the IDF on the Israeli side of the border.

Simon Plosker
@SimonPlosker
Seeing a Hamas terror attack tunnel 4 myself I can believe how this could cost some $3m to build. If only Hamas would spend that money on its people instead of terror. #FreeGazaFromHamas

2:03 PM - Jul 24, 2018
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That’s what really sets this job apart from so many others. It’s personal. As an Israeli and a Zionist Jew, of course it is. When a media outlet portrays the army you served in as child killers, it’s personal. When a journalist tries to justify the terror attack that took place just meters from your office, it’s personal. When someone questions your very right to exist in your own country, it’s personal. But I’ve always tried my best not to let the personal take precedence over the professional.

Israel is not perfect and, without giving my personal politics away, it’s never been about defending Israel from all criticism. I’ve always been proud of the political and religious diversity among my own staff that’s allowed us to coalesce around a consensus. Ultimately, the media may not like us or even agree with us but our professionalism has made sure that they, for the most part, respect us and appreciate that the primary motivation is ensuring Israel is treated fairly and accurately even when the news is bad.
Double-page photo spread from the Jerusalem Report, February 2013
Israeli public diplomacy has lurched from crisis to crisis over the years. The tiny country I made my home in 2001 found itself in the media eye of the Middle East storm, coming under sustained attack, not only from Palestinian terrorism and an international network of hate-driven activists, but from so many journalists and media outlets unwilling to treat Israel fairly or professionally. Have things changed? In some ways yes.

While Israel still attracts an unhealthy obsession from the world’s press, it certainly no longer feels like the sense of perpetual crisis that characterized my earlier years at HonestReporting. From major military conflicts with Hezbollah in 2006 and Hamas in 2008/09, 2012 and 2014, as well as public relations catastrophes such as the Mavi Marmara flotilla incident in 2010, Israel has learned a great deal from its mistakes. The country took too long to internalize what HonestReporting already knew – that the media is an inseparable part of the battlefield. I hope that I’ve played some small part in moving Israel’s mindset in that direction.

Sometimes it’s difficult to look back over such a long period and pick out the achievements or accomplishments. Of course there have been literally hundreds of media corrections. Some were simple. Others attracted wider attention beyond our own website. I’m often asked if there was any point to getting these corrections beyond holding the journalists to account, given the media’s propensity to bury the evidence. That I’ve ensured the evidence is online for perpetuity is precisely the point, and I get some satisfaction from that.

Some achievements are anecdotal and not always measurable. Others were more dramatic. For example, the 2010 firing of CNN’s Senior Editor of Mideast Affairs Octavia Nasr after we exposed her tweet lamenting the death of one of Hezbollah’s founding figures. Or the prolonged but successful battle in 2012 with The Guardian that eventually overturned a UK Press Complaints Commission ruling and forced a permanent change in The Guardian’s style guide to acknowledge that Tel Aviv should never be referred to as Israel’s capital, a precedent that continues to this day.

If there was ever an example of how we’d got the attention of the media, it was the UK Channel 4’s physical pursuit in a vain attempt to portray me as some sort of Elder of Zion, part of a conspiracy to bring the British media under Israel’s heel. It came as a nasty shock to be told that a film crew had just burst into our former Jerusalem headquarters demanding to know where I was and what I had to hide. Ironically, I was waiting at Ben-Gurion Airport for a flight to the UK and had nothing at all to hide. Still, after weeks of anxiety, it was almost flattering when the program was broadcast with all of its absurd charges. Clearly I must have been doing my job if media outlets believed that I exerted that much power!

Thank you to the thousands of our subscribers and readers who have followed HonestReporting over the years. It’s been a personal highlight to get out from behind the computer and meet with many of you. In Israel, the US, UK and South Africa, I’ve visited diverse communities that have given me the opportunity to address hundreds of adults and students. Travelling to diaspora communities around the world has certainly expanded my horizons. I’ve always considered education to be a primary focus. Not everyone may write a letter to the editor or share content on social media but if I succeeded in educating readers and audiences about the many complex issues surrounding Israel and the media coverage of the country, I have done my job.

I’ve been privileged to work with some incredible colleagues over the years, all of them committed professionals who go above and beyond for the cause and the organization. I don’t wish to single out individuals but I can’t not give a special mention to HR’s Deputy Managing Editor Pesach Benson and Missions and Events Director Suzanne Lieberman who have been with me in this journey since the beginning in November 2005. HonestReporting is a family. My colleagues are my friends and I shall miss them greatly.

Thanks also to my family for putting up with the countless distractions the job has brought. Despite my spending occasional time in potentially dangerous situations under rocket fire and spending far too much time glued to breaking news on my phone or laptop, my wife and children have supported my work throughout.

To my successor as Managing Editor, I can say that you will be joining an organization still on the up and ready to soar to even greater heights under the stewardship of CEO Daniel Pomerantz. I can also say that you will be taking on one of the greatest and most rewarding jobs you will ever have and I wish you and the entire organization the very best for what I know is a bright future defending Israel from media bias.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVyY1a3kxJc&feature=emb_logo
VIDEO: When Success is “Segregation”
BY EMANUEL MILLER  APRIL 30, 2020
The fact that Arab doctors in Israel are leading the line in the fight against coronavirus should be seen as a sign of success, not used by the BBC, Vox and the Financial Times as an excuse to suggest that Israeli Arabs are “second-class citizens” or “segregated.” Whereas other minorities in the Middle East are barred from a range of professions, the Arabs of Israel are able to rise to the very top of society. Shouldn’t the media be celebrating this?


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US Blocks COVID Relief Funds for Gaza Over Hamas Rule of Strip

Note: Despite the coronavirus, we'll be off tomorrow celebrating a meaningful and low-key Israeli Independence Day. We'll resume the roundup on Thursday.

Wishing you a happy and healthy Yom Ha'Atzmaut.

Pesach Benson

Deputy Managing Editor

1
The US is blocking COVID relief funds to the Gaza Strip citing concerns tthat the money could fall into the hands of Hamas. USAID is still providing $5 million to help the Palestinian Authority battle corona in the West Bank.

Per the New York Post, "Finding a trusted contractor to ensure the money flows exclusively to COVID-19 efforts instead of rockets and terror tunnels in Gaza has proved difficult."

2
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. Leaders of the secular-Marxist terror group best known for hijacking aircraft in the late '60s and '70s blame PA chief Mahmoud Abbas.

3
A 62-year-old Israeli woman is in moderate to serious condition following a stabbing attack in Kfar Saba this morning. The suspect, a Palestinian teen, was hospitalized after being shot by responding police officers.

4
Israelis paid tribute to fallen soldiers and terror victims on a somber and socially-distant Yom HaZikaron. Because of health restrictions, ceremonies were brief and held without audiences while normally busy military cemeteries were closed.

Overall, 23,816 soldiers and 4,166 terror victims have been killed since 1860, when Jews first began moving outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City.

5
AFP: A Lebanese official disclosed that initial offshore drilling in territorial waters found traces of gas, but none of it was commercially viable. A separate area of the Eastern Med known as Block 9 is disputed by Israel and Lebanon and is believed to have more lucrative reserves.

Related reading: Understanding the Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Dispute.

Commentary I'm reading

- Palestinians and the virus of normalization (Khaled Abu Toameh)

- Diplomacy during the coronavirus pandemic (Zalman Shoval)

- What would the world be like with no Israel? (Jonathan Tobin)

- Israel and Britain’s partnership gives us hope even in a crisis (Amb. Mark Regev)

- Meanwhile, in other news, Israel’s Labor Party is finished (David Horovitz)

- The last remnants of the Israeli Left (Matti Friedman)

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Iran's Military Satellite Reportedly 'Tumbling' In Space
1
US space officialls tracking Iran's first military satellite called it a "tumbling webcam in space" that won't produce any useful images.
2
Syria reported Israeli missile strikes near Damascus early Monday morning. Seven people were killed, including four Iranians. It was the second attack this week attributed to Israel. Officials in Jerusalem didn't comment.
3
"An Arabic-language teacher at a Palestinian school in Hebron posted a grammar lesson for students to review at home during the coronavirus pandemic that glorifies the 1978 Coastal Road Massacre that killed 38 Israeli civilians, along with a female terrorist who took part in the attack." (Times of Israel)
4
Because of health restrictions, Israel is closing its military cemeteries on Yom HaZikaron (Remembrance Day), which begins tonight. Yom HaZikaron honors Israel's fallen soldiers and terror victims. The main commemorations will be held in front of small audiences (or none at all) and broadcast live.
5
The High Court of Justice froze Shin Bet tracking of coronavirus carriers' cell-phones until the Knesset sets guidelines.
Related reading: Israel and Civil Rights In the Age of Corona.
6
International airlines are already moving to resume flights to Israel, but according to Globes,Health Ministry bans on the entry of foreigners and requirements of returnees to self-isolate will blunt demand.

Commentary I'm reading

- Yom HaZikaron: With the families, even at a distance (Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi)

- How has coronavirus changed the Iranian threat to Israel? (Lahav Harkov)

- Stopping the viral epidemic of antisemitism in the US (Lenny Ben-David)

- The return of populist antisemitism (Ben Cohen)

https://honestreporting.com/irish-times-abysmal-attempt-at-a-correction/
Irish Times’ Abysmal Attempt at a Correction
BY SIMON PLOSKER  APRIL 26, 2020
On April 23, we called the Irish Times to task for an interview with Juliet Casey “originally from Walkinstown, Dublin, but now lives in Palestine, where she teaches ballet.”
It became quite clear, however, that Casey lives not in Palestine, but in Haifa, Israel’s third largest city, and teaches in Nazareth, also in Israel, seriously compromising the accuracy of the article and ensured a nasty politicized anti-Israel bias in the piece.
Following an email from HonestReporting to the Irish Times editor, an asterisk now appears at the top of the article with this “correction” at the end:
* This article was amended on April 24th, 2020
The first thing to point out is the lack of transparency on the part of the Irish Times. A proper correction in any media should include some brief description of what and a reason for why something has been changed. Instead, the Irish Times leaves no record for the reader.

Related reading: Defining Bias #8: Lack of Transparency

Here’s what the Irish Times amended (The original cached version can be viewed 
here):https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:uYNdaKLiqLoJ:https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/the-irish-ballet-teacher-in-palestine-during-a-pandemic-1.4233173+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=il

The original headline was:

The headline now states “working in Palestine”:

As for the textual amendments:

Before: “Juliet Casey is originally from Walkinstown, Dublin, but now lives in Palestine, where she teaches ballet”

After: “Juliet Casey is originally from Walkinstown, Dublin, but now teaches ballet in Palestine.”

Before: “I live in Palestine with my fiancé Fadi, who is from Jerusalem.”

After: “I live in Haifa with my fiancé Fadi, who is from Jerusalem.”

So far, some minor edits and Casey appears to no longer live in “Palestine.” Noticeably, however, it is not made clear that Haifa is actually an Israeli city.

But then an insult to the intelligence as the Irish Times flatly refuses to correct a blatant lie:

Before: “Gaza, the self-governing Palestinian territory, suffers from almost constant bombardment.”

After: “Gaza, the self-governing Palestinian territory, suffers from bombardment.”

Spot the difference? Does the Irish Times really believe that the removal of “almost constant” fixes this libel? Gaza doesn’t suffer from “bombardment” in any sense.

We also pointed out to the Irish Times that Casey teaches ballet in Nablus, Ramallah, Nazareth and Haifa yet gave the impression that the latter two Israeli cities were Palestinian. Yet there appears to be only one minor edit to a question:

Before: “Has Covid-19 affected you in Palestine?”
After: “Has Covid-19 affected you?”

Other questions referring to Palestine remain as they were with no clarifications that Nazareth and Haifa are Israeli leaving the casual reader with little clue that Casey lives in one place but teaches in both Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Casey is still asked: “How is it being ballet teacher in Palestine?” and answers with a reference to her work in Nazareth. Further questions still include: “Ballet is not something we associate with Palestine. Is it popular?” and “Does being Irish count at the moment in Palestine?”

Ultimately, any edits to the piece are, at best, aesthetic and for the most part fail to address the serious underlying issues in the article. Juliet Casey lives in Israel but evidently considers it to be “Palestine.” The Irish Times has done as little as possible to allay that misconception, instead allowing her anti-Israel bias to shine through while spitting in the faces of those who have made legitimate complaints.

Please let the editor of the Irish Times know that the “corrections” to the article are unacceptable and need to go much further to address the real issues. Send your considered comments to editor@irishtimes.com.




https://honestreporting.com/terror-victims-every-day-is-remembrance-day/
Terror Victims: Every Day is Remembrance Day
BY GUESTPOST  MAY 7, 2019
This guest post is by Margot Dudkevitch of OneFamily, a Jerusalem-based organization that helps Israeli victims of terror.
A terror attack occurs within minutes, but it changes your life forever.
A bomb explosion, a stabbing, a firebomb attack, a rocket attack, a shooting attack, a kidnapping — all leave a trail of death and destruction. Lives are turned upside down, what was, is no longer, and people are left to bear the physical and emotional scars for the rest of their lives.
You can never fully fathom the devastation it causes to families who lose loved ones or are injured in attacks. Their lives are plunged into chaos and despair. You may no longer read about them in the newspapers, they no longer make headlines, but their lives changed forever.

A person driving home, enjoying a walk, shopping or just sitting at home and suddenly an attack occurs, and their entire world is turned upside down, without warning or preparation. The trauma they experience can cause feelings of helplessness, inability to function and extreme mental and physical anguish. The situation impacts the entire family and friends.

Many of those injured in terror attacks also suffer severe emotional problems. The organization has created a unique program for those ailing from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is designed to help sufferers and their spouses develop skills to cope with their trauma, improve their relationship with each other and their children.
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Figures published by the Defense Ministry ahead of Remembrance Day for Israel’s Fallen state 23,745 Israelis have been killed in war and terror attacks since 1860. One hundred and four new names were added to the list since last year’s Memorial Day. Fifty six of that number were soldiers and policemen, and forty disabled veterans who passed away due to complications from injuries sustained during their military service.

OneFamily was formed almost 18 years ago. At the time, Michal Belzberg was about to celebrate her Bat Mitzva in Jerusalem when there was a suicide bomb attack at the Sbarro pizza café. Fifteen people were murdered and 85 injured. Michal decided to cancel her celebrations and asked family and guests to donate to the wounded.

As the wave of attacks continued to ravage the country, Michal’s parents Chantal and Marc Belzberg realized there was an immense need to care for the victims of terror and provide them with emotional and financial support. OneFamily was formed.

Indeed, since its launch, the organization has provided more than $55 million in assistance to more than 4,000 victims of terror and their families.

“We strive to rehabilitate, reintegrate and rebuild the lives of thousands of Israelis affected by terror,” says Chantal Belzberg, the CEO of OneFamily. The organization provides a comprehensive blend of financial assistance, therapeutic programs, workshops, retreats and legal aid regardless of race or religion, Belzberg notes.

The terror victims’ stories
To protect their privacy, the terror victims shared their stories on condition of being identified only by their initials.

S.B. lives in Beit Shean with his wife and four children. He was seriously injured in a shooting attack 17 years ago in his hometown. Ever since his injury he has been unable to work, his mental state has deteriorated and today he also suffers from heart problems. His wife works in a day care center and aside from the small disability pension S. receives they are struggling to pay the bills at the end of each month. OneFamily coordinators have been in contact with him ever since he was injured. The coordinators visit the family frequently and have also helped pay for medical treatment, medicines he receives and additional financial aid to assist the family.

families of terror victims
Israeli orphans at a One Family event.
H.N. who lives in Haifa, is in her mid forties, is married with three children. Eighteen years ago she was injured in a suicide bomb attack in Kfar Saba. She suffered severe injuries and underwent a long drawn-out rehabilitation process. Ten years ago she was diagnosed with cancer which has spread. She frequently goes to hospital to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She is unable to work and her husband is the sole earner. “We visit frequently, and have given the family funds to pay for camps for the children. We provide support and encouragement and helped to pay some of the debt incurred,” a OneFamily case worker said.

Seventeen couples who suffer from PTSD were asked to fill out a questionnaire after participating in a recent OneFamily workshop. The majority said they felt it contributed greatly to improving their quality of life. Many felt that meeting others who suffered similar emotional problems helped to boost their self-confidence and showed them it was worthwhile investing in their relationships.

For many terror victims it is not only the injury and the emotional scars they are left to bare for their entire lives. N.N who was seriously injured in a stabbing attack in August 2017 is still being treated for his wounds. Today he walks with crutches. The attack also affected his voice box making it difficult for him to speak. Severely traumatized from the attack he is unable to work, unable to concentrate. Money is tight.

The G. family lives in Ashkelon. Five years rockets exploded twice near their home. The father was present in both attacks, and the daughter in one. Both were severely traumatized. The daughter has a companion to accompany her to school and at nights sleeps with her mother, she is too scared to sleep alone The father who used to repair air conditioners is unable to work. He was recently diagnosed with a heart condition and is hospitalized in the Barzilai Hospital periodically.

N.S.G. immigrated from Ethiopia in 1994 and is married with five children. In 2001 she was injured in a bus bomb attack in Hadera. She was severely traumatized and is currently hospitalized in the psychiatric ward, unable to function or care for her children and home. The husband is the sole wage earner. When they return from school the eldest child takes care of the younger siblings, cooks and cleans until their father comes home.

Retreats provide the opportunity for victims of terror to step outside their regular lives and focus on their trauma together with others. Many experience loneliness, face difficulties in their daily lives and are unable to shake free from the trauma. Spending time with counselors, professionals and others in their group helps them to talk about their struggles, reminds them they are not alone in their battle to move forward. Those participating said the meetings gave them an incentive to keep on living and the guidance and support they received helped them to stand on their feet.

terror victims
A OneFamily volunteer places candles on soldiers’ graves ahead of Remembrance Day.
Every day is ‘Remembrance Day’
On Yom HaZikaron (Remembrance Day) to honor Israel’s fallen, soldiers, members of the security forces and victims of terror, the entire country comes to a standstill. But, for the families whose lives have been touched by terror, every day is “Remembrance Day.”

Speaking at the annual Remembrance Day service last year hosted by OneFamily, Noa Bukaris whose sister Hadar was murdered in a stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion Junction three and a half years ago said for her Remembrance Day is a day of mixed emotions. “The announcement that Hadar was dead, pierced through me. A sentence that cut through me, I could feel it cutting inside me, splitting my life and perspective into two. A sharp sentence and a sharp knife, both divide and slice. And just like the knife, they both kill.”

Iris Yifrach spoke of her son Eyal who was kidnapped and murdered five years ago along with his friends Naftali Fraenkel and Gilad Shaer. “On Remembrance Day there is a bleeding silence, perhaps I am looking for myself? Iris who was once happy and content, the family that was once complete.”

Art classes, ceramics, yoga and exercise classes offer bereaved and injured victims of terror a brief respite from their grief. A reason to leave the house,  or get up in the morning, something to look forward to.

R.L., whose son was murdered eight years ago in an attack said already during the shiva, OneFamily staff members visited her home. Ever since she says she tries to attend as many different activities as possible. “It is nice to meet other bereaved mothers. It gives me a purpose to come and try out the different activities. For a short time I can concentrate on other things, laugh a bit,“ she said.

A.B., who was seriously injured in a bus bomb attack in 2003 says meeting others who were also injured in attacks helps to strengthen her and gives her an incentive to move forward.

“OneFamily was created as a result of the unfortunate needs our society has evinced. The tragedies in OneFamily include not only children who have lost both parents, bereaved parents, spouses and siblings, but also those wounded by terror and their families. We make sure they always know they have someone to turn to,” says Belzberg.




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IsraBite NEWS
Your bite-sized Israel news roundup
HonestReporting
PA Liable for Millions Over Intifada Terror Attacks

1
The Jerusalem District Court held the Palestinian Authority liable for millions in damages for terror attacks during the Second Intifada.

Per the Jerusalem Post, "Although the damages may total as high as NIS 1 billion, due to the complex diplomatic implications, the court ruled that, at this stage, the collected damages will be around NIS 500 million. Payment will not be made directly, but will be spread out over time."

On a related note, a new US law allows terror victims to sue the PA.

2
Health Minister Yaakov Litzman will step aside to take over the Ministry of Housing and Construction in the emergency government.


Litzman, who leads the United Torah Judaism party, lacked public confidence, and the Blue and White party insisted that the ministry be run by a health care professional.

Reports indicate that Blue and White wants to give the health post to Sheba Medical Center director-general Dr. Yitshak Kreiss.

3
Worth reading: An Arab doctor and an ultra-Orthodox Jew find common ground in a Covid ward.

4
Reporters Without Borders released its annual Press Freedom Index. Out of 180 countries, Israel ranked 88th for press freedom while the Palestinian Authority came in at 137. More at The Media Line, which examines why the Palestinians ranked so low.

5
Three of these headlines are real. Care to guess which one is satire?


1. Saudi TV show for Ramadan sparks outrage with Hebrew opening monologue.

2. Foreign Ministry: Egyptian TV show predicting end of Israel ‘unacceptable.’

3. Latest season of Israeli TV series ‘Fauda’ becomes massive hit in Arab world.

4. BDS: Fine, you can watch Fauda.

6
Ahead of Independence Day, Israel's population stands at nearly 9.2 million. In the past year, Israel's population grew by 171,000 according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.

Commentary I'm reading

- Annexation: Is it wrong to let Israel make decisions for itself? (Jonathan Tobin)

- Iran's first successful military space launch should worry Israel (Yossi Melman)

- Why is Iran not changing course? (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror)

- San Remo centennial: The Jewish people's charter of liberation (Dror Eydar)

- From San Remo to its 72nd birthday, Israel survives the virus of political and moral collapse (Melanie Phillips)

- 100 years since the San Remo Conference which shaped the Middle East (Dore Gold)

- Rising coronavirus correlates to rising antisemitism in heavily Jewish areas of New York and New Jersey (Faygie Holt)

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Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swap Talks Reportedly Underway

1
According to Israeli media reports, Israel-Hamas prisoner swap talks are under way. Arab reports cited by Ynet said that Egypt, which is mediating, released four Hamas-affiliated prisoners as a goodwill gesture.

Hamas -- which holds Israeli civilians Avraham Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed plus the bodies of Sgt. First Class Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin -- is desparate for medical assistance to fend off the coronavirus.

2
Israel is now warning Hezbollah of strikes on convoys and firing warning shots. Per the New York Times, the measures to avoid killing Hezbollah personnel while destroying advanced weapons are intended to avert an escalation.

3
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards claimed it successfully launched its first military satellite. The US assessed that the launch was successful, though it stopped short of confirming that the satellite reached orbit. Iran failed a number of previous attempts.

4
Security forces killed a Palestinian man who tried to run over and then stab Border Police officer. The officer was moderately injured in the attack, which took place at a West Bank checkpoint near Maale Adumim yesterday.

The Shin Bet also busted a Hamas terror cell planning attacks on Jerusalem's soccer stadium and security personnel in the West Bank.

5
"In an unprecedented move, the Palestinian ruling Fatah faction has published the names and photos of three Israeli journalists, accusing them of 'incitement' against the Palestinian Authority leadership." (Jerusalem Post)

6
Israeli-Palestinian cooperation against coronavirus is under strain. Haaretz reports that Israeli authorities have blocked the PA from enforcing restrictions in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Kafr Aqab. It's inside Jerusalem's muncipal boundaries but outside the security barrier.

And Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon told i24 News that cooperation is threatened by Palestinian incitement. See also The Media Line.

7
With the easing of corona restrictions on Israeli courts, it looks like Benjamin Netanyahu's corruption trial will move on as scheduled. Proceedings begin the Jerusalem District Court on May 24. Meanwhile, the High Court of Justice is due to discuss a petition against Netanyahu and the coalition deal.

Related reading: The Charges Against Benjamin Netanyahu Explained.

8
Antisemitism Watch: Several Jewish UK Labour activists received threatening emails from neo-Nazis after their names appeared in a leaked party document. A Berlin Holocaust remembrance event held on Zoom was hacked with antisemitic messages and vulgar images. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib was slammed for failing to mention Jews in a Holocaust remembrance tweet.

Commentary I'm reading

- Coronavirus the straw that broke Hamas' back? (Prof. Eyal Zisser)

- How coronavirus sparked antisemitic conspiracy theories (Fiamma Nirenstein)

- Can Netanyahu and Gantz work together? (Jonathan Tobin)

- The most profligate Israeli government ever (Tal Schneider)

- Prime Minister Netanyahu: Expiration date 10/21 (Herb Keinon)

- Antisemitism is world's oldest 'fake news' (Ben-Dror Yemini)

- Returning to an empty, desolate Auschwitz (Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau)

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Unity Government Deal Finally Agreed

1
PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his chief rival Benny Gantz have finally agreed on the formation of a "national emergency" government, potentially bringing Israel's long-running political crisis to an end for now.

Some key points: Netanyahu will serve as prime minister for 18 months, followed by another 18 months with Gantz as PM. The cabinet will initially include a  whopping 32 ministers, then later expand to 36.

What does the deal say about issues such as West Bank annexation, Haredi army conscription, and guarantees that Netanyahu hands over power to Gantz? Here key elements of the agreement.

2
A two-minute-long siren sounded throughout Israel to remember Holocaust victims and signal the start of the main daytime Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) ceremonies.

3
Syrian state media on Monday night reported that air defenses were activated  against Israeli missiles over the ancient city of Palmyra in the Homs province.

4
A survey of Arab-Israelis found that only seven percent define themselves as "Palestinian."

5
The Independent looks at Hezbollah efforts to deflect blame for possibly bringing coronavirus into Lebanon.

Back in Israel, the New York Times focuses on how hospitals are letting relatives visit their loved ones dying of Covid-19 in stark contrast to policies in many other countries.

Watch: Former MK Dov Lipman Explains the National Unity Government

Zoom Chat Group

What compromises did Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz make? What will be the structure of this emergency government and who will fill the key ministerial posts? And who will be in the opposition?

To help you understand the issues more fully, HonestReporting head of community outreach, former Member of Knesset Dov Lipman will explain all in a special Facebook livestream video. Don't miss it!

https://honestreporting.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/j/C62AB4EF84640A432540EF23F30FEDED/2CEE6A03BC192049D9767B6002735221
When: Tuesday, April 21 (today!)
Time: 1:00 PM EDT (8:00 PM Israel Time)
Where: HonestReporting's Facebook page

Commentary I'm reading

- Israel’s new ‘unity’ government is neither united nor likely to govern well (Haviv Rettig Gur)

- The coalition government is far from ideal, but is necessary (Herb Keinon)

- Israeli-Palestinian virus cooperation imperiled amid unity gov’t, annexation bid (Jacob Magid)

- Why is the new coalition deal so controversial? (Gil Hoffman)

- In ‘unity’ deal, Gantz hopes he’s compelled Netanyahu to let him be PM one day (David Horovitz)

- Netanyahu can now swing Right or Left on Trump peace deal, annexation (Tovah Lazaroff)

- Syrian regime has accused Israel of more than five major attacks this year (Seth Frantzman)

https://honestreporting.com/media-adopt-antisemitism-ihra-definition/
Time for the Media to Adopt Antisemitism Definition
BY PESACH BENSON  MARCH 13, 2019
defining antisemitism
With antisemitism on the rise, it’s vitally important to have a respected definition of what constitutes anti-Jewish hatred and intolerance. In recent years, one definition of antisemitism is gaining traction. Drawn up by the Berlin-based International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, this definition has been adopted and endorsed by a growing number of governments. See for yourself the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism.

With the guidance of a coherent definition, lawmakers can devise more nuanced policies, police and prosecutors can more effectively respond to hate crimes, and colleges can more adequately deal with campus antisemitism. Local activists don’t have to flounder with feeble “I know it when I see it” arguments.

The media, too, should be tied down to a clear definition of what’s unacceptably anti-Jewish.

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The definition has already served as a powerful tool for public accountability: When Britain’s Labour Party sought to adopt a watered-down version of the definition, the controversy it sparked proved too embarrassing. Labour adopted the full definition — but a dark cloud still hangs over the party.

The controversy stirred by Labour’s waffling highlights one aspect of the IHRA definition that many Israel-bashers can’t accept. Examples of antisemitism listed by the IHRA include “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination,” “claiming that the existence of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “applying double standards by requiring of it behavior not expected or demanded by any other democratic nation.” Anti-Zionism is a form of antisemitism. People who cross that line can no longer say, “I’m anti-Zionist, not antisemitic.”

One can criticize the policies of Israel’s government without crossing the line into antisemitism, and the IHRA acknowledges that “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”

While the IHRA’s definition isn’t legally binding, more countries and organizations will hopefully join the UK, Germany, France, Holland, the European Parliament, the US departments of State and Education, the Greek Ministry of Education, (and HonestReporting) and others who are already on board.

Where the media comes in
Beyond the governmental level, there’s another sector that needs to adopt the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism: The media.

By choosing what to cover and how to cover it, news services set the agenda for public discourse. Guided by the IHRA, journalists would make better-informed decisions in covering hate crimes. Coverage of the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), especially on local campuses, would be better nuanced. With a consistent standard, editors would be able to better judge op-eds and letters while moderators could keep website comments more civilized.

Certainly, that’s a win-win situation.

And in a time when public figures on the right and left engage in varying degrees of antisemitic rhetoric, the press will be better poised to fulfill its role of holding leaders accountable.

Featured image: vectors by Vecteezy;
Before you comment on this article, please note our Comments Policy. Any comments deemed to be in breach of the policy will be removed at the editor’s discretion.

UK Labour Adopts Antisemitism Definition, But . . .
Understanding the Spelling and Correct Definition of…
New York Times Misleads Over Antisemitism Definition
AP Exposes Hamas Definition of 'Non-Violence'
Il est temps que les médias adoptent la définition…
What is Terrorism and Why Does its Definition Matter?

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Report: Coronavirus Sparks Rise in Antisemitism
1
Israeli researchers report that the global coronavirus outbreak has sparked a rise in antisemitic expression blaming Jews for the spread of the disease and the economic recession it has caused.
2
The popularity of PA Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and Ramallah Governor Lila Ranam ("The Iron Woman") are rising as they take the lead in the Palestinian response to the pandemic. Mahmoud Abbas hasn't been seen publicly for some time, fueling rumors about the health of the 84-year-old Palestinian leader.
3
Worth reading: Arab-Israeli doctors treating corona patients are becoming symbols of coexistence and mainstreaming into Israeli society. (Christian Science Monitor)
4
As Holocaust Memorial Day in Israel moves online due to the coronavirus, survivors set to commemorate the Holocaust in isolation say comparing eras is ‘indecent.’
5
As Lake Kinneret's water level rises, Israel plans to open a new canal to channel water to the southern part of Jordan River.
6
Antisemitism watch: A sign depicting Jews as demonic blue beings with a caption blaming them for the coronavirus pandemic was appeared at a demonstration in Ohio.
Two Minnesota high school students were criticized for sharing a video which photoshops them dancing in a Nazi boxcar and happily skipping into Auschwitz, on the video social media platform TikTok.
Commentary I'm reading
- Antisemitism in the time of corona (Shimon Samuels)
- The Mossad is flaunting too much during the coronavirus crisis (Yossi Melman)
- Netanyahu's lockdown is more controversial than most (Zev Chafets)
- Don't believe UNRWA, they are not helping (Bassam Tawil)
- Why there is no credible alternative to IHRA definition of antisemitism (Peter Wertheim)
- Coronavirus crisis eradicated Israeli sectarianism (Sever Plocker)
- Money for terrorists but not for coronavirus? (Yossi Kuperwasser)
- The moral dilemma of emptying prisons in a pandemic (Jonathan Tobin)
- Why is Turkey embracing Hamas? (Khaled Abu Toameh)

Two Minnesota high school students were criticized for sharing a video which photoshops them dancing in a Nazi boxcar and happily skipping into Auschwitz, on the video social media platform TikTok.
Commentary I'm reading
- Antisemitism in the time of corona (Shimon Samuels)
- The Mossad is flaunting too much during the coronavirus crisis (Yossi Melman)
- Netanyahu's lockdown is more controversial than most (Zev Chafets)
- Don't believe UNRWA, they are not helping (Bassam Tawil)
- Why there is no credible alternative to IHRA definition of antisemitism (Peter Wertheim)
- Coronavirus crisis eradicated Israeli sectarianism (Sever Plocker)
- Money for terrorists but not for coronavirus? (Yossi Kuperwasser)
- The moral dilemma of emptying prisons in a pandemic (Jonathan Tobin)
- Why is Turkey embracing Hamas? (Khaled Abu Toameh)

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Is Unity Government Imminent?

Jerusalem usually teems with tourists during Passover and Easter. And with Ramadan begining on Thursday night, it should be all the more so. Celebrating holidays low-key in lockdown puts a different perspective on the things near and dear to us. So does a brief step back from the news cycle.

I hope you're safe and healthy.

Let's catch up on the news.

Pesach Benson

Deputy Managing Editor

1
As this roundup was sent out, Israeli media reported an "imminent" unity deal between Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz.

2
Israel accused Hezbollah of trying to breach the northern border after finding damage at three different spots along the border barrier. Israel was accused of a missile strike on a Hezbollah vehicle in Syria last week.

3
Iran unveiled aerial drones it said have a range of 1,500 km. That means they're capable of reaching Israel.

4
Desperate for medical assistance, Israeli media reports indicate Hamas is optimistic it can pull off a prisoner swap with Israel. There are 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Gaza Strip.

 

Hamas is also interested in the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian security prisoners. It holds Israeli civilians Avraham Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed plus the bodies of Sgt. First Class Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin.

5
In the wake of PA accusations that Israel is deliberately spreading COVID-19 in the West Bank, The Media Line investigates: Are Palestinian laborers returning from Israel spreading the virus?

 

Meanwhile, National Public Radio reports the PA has set up its own, checkpoints. Fatah doesn't want you to assume this imitation is a form of flattery:

 

"'We do not imitate the Israeli occupation,' activist Nasser Khatib insisted. 'We call this a checkpoint of love and peace.'"

6
The United Arab Emirates provided medical assistance and supplies to Palestinians living in eastern Jerusalem -- which Israeli officials say was an illegal act in its capital.

7
Israel eased up on several restrictions, but Benjamin Netanyahu warned they could be reimposed if necessary. As for the numbers,171 Israelis have died of corona and and another 13,362 have been positively diagnosed.

 

Magen David Adom officials say the number of deaths is higher than official figures because "health authorities don't test for the virus in civilians who have passed away at home or assisted living facilities."

8
A two-year project to clear away landmines from the area of the Jordan River where Christians believe Jesus was baptized was finally completed. The clearance of 1,100 mines from Qaser al-Yahud will allow for the refurbishment of eight derelict churches. More at the Times of Israel and Halo Trust.

9
Antisemitism Watch: Will lawsuits over UK Labour antisemitism bankupt the party? Concern grows in Germany over antisemitic propaganda tied to coronavirus pandemic. A man faces federal charges for trying to blow up a Jewish assisted living home in Massachusetts.

 

The Sacramento Bee apologized for publishing an antisemitic Easter advertisement. A senior priest in the Catholic Church of Romania is accused of comparing Jews to the coronavirus in an Easter video he insists was misinterpreted.

Commentary I'm reading

- PA and Hamas try to ‘coronawash’ their own corruption (Sander Gerber)

- Hamas: COVID-19 a new pretext to attack Israel (Khaled Abu Toameh)

- Window of opportunity for prisoner exchange cannot be missed (Yoav Limor)

- Is a prisoner swap with Hamas really feasible? (Daniel Siryoti)

-Israel, too, turns to China for Covid-19 help (Zeev Chafets)

- Amid the pandemic, antisemitism flares up (Walter Russell Mead, click via Twitter)

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Is Unity Government Imminent?

Jerusalem usually teems with tourists during Passover and Easter. And with Ramadan begining on Thursday night, it should be all the more so. Celebrating holidays low-key in lockdown puts a different perspective on the things near and dear to us. So does a brief step back from the news cycle.

I hope you're safe and healthy.

Let's catch up on the news.

Pesach Benson

Deputy Managing Editor

1
As this roundup was sent out, Israeli media reported an "imminent" unity deal between Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz.

2
Israel accused Hezbollah of trying to breach the northern border after finding damage at three different spots along the border barrier. Israel was accused of a missile strike on a Hezbollah vehicle in Syria last week.

3
Iran unveiled aerial drones it said have a range of 1,500 km. That means they're capable of reaching Israel.

4
Desperate for medical assistance, Israeli media reports indicate Hamas is optimistic it can pull off a prisoner swap with Israel. There are 13 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the Gaza Strip.

 

Hamas is also interested in the release of an unspecified number of Palestinian security prisoners. It holds Israeli civilians Avraham Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed plus the bodies of Sgt. First Class Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin.

5
In the wake of PA accusations that Israel is deliberately spreading COVID-19 in the West Bank, The Media Line investigates: Are Palestinian laborers returning from Israel spreading the virus?

 

Meanwhile, National Public Radio reports the PA has set up its own, checkpoints. Fatah doesn't want you to assume this imitation is a form of flattery:

 

"'We do not imitate the Israeli occupation,' activist Nasser Khatib insisted. 'We call this a checkpoint of love and peace.'"

6
The United Arab Emirates provided medical assistance and supplies to Palestinians living in eastern Jerusalem -- which Israeli officials say was an illegal act in its capital.

7
Israel eased up on several restrictions, but Benjamin Netanyahu warned they could be reimposed if necessary. As for the numbers,171 Israelis have died of corona and and another 13,362 have been positively diagnosed.

 

Magen David Adom officials say the number of deaths is higher than official figures because "health authorities don't test for the virus in civilians who have passed away at home or assisted living facilities."

8
A two-year project to clear away landmines from the area of the Jordan River where Christians believe Jesus was baptized was finally completed. The clearance of 1,100 mines from Qaser al-Yahud will allow for the refurbishment of eight derelict churches. More at the Times of Israel and Halo Trust.

9
Antisemitism Watch: Will lawsuits over UK Labour antisemitism bankupt the party? Concern grows in Germany over antisemitic propaganda tied to coronavirus pandemic. A man faces federal charges for trying to blow up a Jewish assisted living home in Massachusetts.

 

The Sacramento Bee apologized for publishing an antisemitic Easter advertisement. A senior priest in the Catholic Church of Romania is accused of comparing Jews to the coronavirus in an Easter video he insists was misinterpreted.

Commentary I'm reading

- PA and Hamas try to ‘coronawash’ their own corruption (Sander Gerber)

- Hamas: COVID-19 a new pretext to attack Israel (Khaled Abu Toameh)

- Window of opportunity for prisoner exchange cannot be missed (Yoav Limor)

- Is a prisoner swap with Hamas really feasible? (Daniel Siryoti)

-Israel, too, turns to China for Covid-19 help (Zeev Chafets)

- Amid the pandemic, antisemitism flares up (Walter Russell Mead, click via Twitter)

Washington Post: Anti-Israel Activist Spews More Gaza Coronavirus Agitprop
BY SIMON PLOSKER  APRIL 16, 2020

As coronavirus lockdowns continue around the world, boredom is undoubtedly starting to set in for some people. It’s also becoming boring reading the spate of articles and opinion pieces concerning Gaza and the coronavirus.

At this time of writing, coronavirus has, thankfully, not spread through the Gaza population although there is, of course, still the potential for a significant health crisis. But this has not stopped many journalists and commentators linking Gaza’s existing crisis to a potential coronavirus crisis and making sure to blame Israel in advance for infections or deaths that have not even yet occurred.

The latest is an opinion piece by Tarek Loubani in the Washington Post:

Recently we’ve already gone at length into the Coronavirus and 7 Reasons Why There’s No ‘Gaza Siege’, which addresses many of the false and tired charges Loubani makes including the claim that Israel doesn’t allow medical supplies and humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. He also fails to mention that the Israeli blockade, meant to prevent weapons smuggling is also administered by Egypt.

Indeed no discussion about Gaza’s situation can be held without acknowledging the role of the Hamas terrorist organization that rules over and mismanages the territory.

Loubani, however, doesn’t mention Hamas at all in his piece. Not once.

Nowhere does he consider that the Gaza Ministry of Health is controlled by Hamas. Nowhere does he ask the question as to why Hamas has failed to invest in medical facilities and infrastructure such as hospitals and equipment. Could it be that huge amounts of money have been spent on rockets, weapons, attack tunnels and terror infrastructure at the expense of ordinary Gazans? Could it be that a terrorist organization is capable of gross mismanagement?

Maybe this failure to hold Hamas to account shouldn’t come as a surprise because Loubani isn’t some naive humanitarian guided by inaccurate information. He is actually a political activist previously deported from Israel in 2003 for his activities as part of the International Solidarity Movement.

The ISM, while claiming to be “non-violent,” supports Palestinian “armed resistance” and has a long history of anti-Israel activities, including violence, support for terrorism and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS). As NGO Monitor notes, the ISM:

Encourages activists to take “direct action” that often places them in danger and in direct confrontations with Israeli Defense Forces during military operations. ISM has been described as “Embracing Palestinian militants, even suicide bombers, as freedom fighters,” and “entering military zones to interfere with the operations of Israeli soldiers.”

In addition, the Israellycool website exposed Loubani in 2018 after he claimed to have been wounded during the March of Return riots, and whose “paramedic” who was allegedly shot helping him by the IDF turned out to be a Hamas terrorist.

Does the Washington Post not carry out any background research into its contributors? If it had bothered to check into Tarek Loubani, perhaps it would have recognized why any opinion piece submitted by him would amount to little more than agitprop. Loubani’s supposed concern for Palestinian welfare is simply a disguise designed to take advantage of the coronavirus crisis in order to attack Israel.

Shame on the Washington Post for falling for it and giving him a platform.


Please contact the Washington Post’s Readers Representative and register your complaint – readers@washpost.com

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Israel Prepares For Complete Passover Lockdown

1
To prevent further spread of the coronavirus over the Passover holiday, the Israeli government will implement a nationwide lockdown from Tuesday afternoon until Saturday night. During this time, people will be prevented from leaving their city of residence. In addition, an even tighter restriction will come into effect on Wednesday evening, the night of the Passover Seder when everybody will be confined to their homes until the following morning.

Palm Sunday has also been scaled back as will be the upcoming Holy Fire ceremony.

Last but not least, how did Kiryat Yearim manage to kick corona out of the community?

As matters stand, 60 Israelis have died of coronavirus and the number of people diagnosed has topped 9,000.

2
Unity government negotiations continue to hit bumps in the road. Blue and White released a statement claiming talks had been halted after Likud went back on agreements over judicial appointments.

Progress has apparently been made on all other issues including that of annexation of the West Bank with one report suggesting that the agreement taking shape provided for Israel to annex up to 30% of the West Bank - all the settlements, and the Jordan Valley - by early summer.

Meanwhile, the Labor Party will soon merge its faction and then the party itself with Blue and White according to its leader Amir Peretz.

3
If Israel finds a vaccine for coronavirus, boycotters can still take it, Omar Barghouti, a figurehead of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement says.

4
Ali Mohammed Younis, a Hezbollah commander responsible for uncovering spies and collaborators was found killed in southern Lebanon. As you'd expect, Lebanese and Iranian media are blaming the Mossad.

This is the final IsraBite News until after the Passover holdiay. From everyone at HonestReporting, we wish you and your families a happy, safe and healthy holiday.

Video: It’s Time for the Truth: Israel is Protecting the Palestinians


Commentary I'm reading

- COVID-19 has put Hezbollah in a delicate position (Shimon Shapira)

- How Iran's regime is trying to exploit the coronavirus crisis (Majid Rafizadeh)

- As talks founder again, Netanyahu caught between Gantz and right-wing base (Haviv Rettig Gur)

- Gantz annexation veto turns him into possible peacemaker (Tovah Lazaroff)

- Israel's systematically sidelined Foreign Ministry is doing heroic work on coronavirus (Daniel Carmon)

- In This War, I Feel Far Safer in Israel Than in America (Allyn Fisher-Ilan)

- COVID-19 has put Hezbollah in a delicate position (JCPA

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Did Iranian Hackers Target World Health Organization?
1
According to Reuters, hackers working in the interests of the Iranian government attempted to break into email accounts of World Health Organization staff amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
2
Focus on coronavirus hotspots in Haredi communities continues in international and domestic Israeli media as the town of Bnei Brak is placed under lockdown. Other hotspots: Nursing homes.

Meanwhile, Hamas' leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, threatened that if Gazans start dying as a result of not having enough ventilators, Hamas "will make six million Israeli settlers unable to breathe."

As matters stand, 47 Israelis have died of coronavirus and the number of people diagnosed is over 8,000.
3
The Jeremy Corbyn era is over as the UK Labour Party elected Sir Keir Starmer as its new leader. In his first public statement, Starmer vowed to root out the antisemitism that has infected his party and apologized on behalf of the party.

Starmer also expressed his condolences to the UK Jewish community over the high death rate from the coronavirus.

Starmer's wife and children are Jewish. The Daily Mail questions whether he could and should have done more to fight the antisemitism within his party during the Corbyn years.
4
Antisemitism watch: In France, the coronavirus is reigniting disease-related conspiracy theories and tropes that haven't manifested themselves for centuries.

Video: Kindness During Tragedy
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Commentary I'm reading

- Palestinian incitement continues despite Israeli aid against pandemic (Israel Kasnett)

- Gantz wants a six-month coronavirus government, Netanyahu wants annexation (Yossi Verter)

- Israel needs an exit plan for this coronavirus crisis (Nadav Eyal)

- Litzman’s worst failure – to explain the pandemic’s horrors to his own community (David Horovitz)

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Israeli Health Minister Diagnosed with Coronavirus
1
Health Minister Yaakov Litzman and his wife have tested positive for the coronavirus. Both are said to be in good condition.The 71-year-old minister is the most senior Israeli official to be diagnosed with the virus. Litzman has been a frequent target of criticism over his handling of the coronavirus crisis, particularly as he is seen as a representative of the ultra-Orthodox community which has been disproportionately affected by the virus.

As a result, PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen and a number of other senior officials have all been sent into quarantine (Netanyahu for the second time).

As matters stand, 32 Israelis have died of coronavirus and the number of people diagnosed is over 6,200.

2
Is annexation of the West Bank the sticking point in unity government negotiations between Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and Likud's Benjamin Netanyahu? The Times of Israel takes a look at the apparent deadlock and the issues facing both sides as the talks continue.
3
Israel reportedly bombed an airbase in western Syria late on Tuesday as it continued its military campaign against Iran.

Video

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Commentary I'm reading

- Netanyahu’s chief rival agrees to join him in government. It’s a patriotic move. (Washington Post)

- Netanyahu faces a rebellion on the right as new government takes shape (Haviv Rettig Gur)

- If US eases sanctions on Iran, how much quicker could it produce a nuke? (Yonah Jeremy Bob)

- The case against lifting sanctions on Iran's clerical regime (Benjamin Weinthal)

- Haredim have finally begun embracing social distancing. Why did it take so long? (Sam Sokol)

- As calls rise for the US to ease sanctions on Tehran, why is Netanyahu silent? (Raphael Ahren)

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Netanyahu in Quarantine Despite Testing Negative for Coronavirus
1
PM Benjamin Netanyahu has gone into quarantine as a precautionary measure after an adviser and her husband came down with the coronavirus. The PM and his family have, however, tested negative for the disease but will remain quarantined for the time being.

Israel's death toll has now reached 18 with 4,831 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Tuesday morning. The disproportionately high numbers of ultra-Orthodox Jews becoming infected is causing great concern. The New York Times examines why this is the case. Israeli media report that the Haredi city of Bnei Brak may even need to be quarantined.

Meanwhile, Israeli apps are helping to contain the pandemic while the Defense Ministry plans to use software analyzing data gathered from cell phones to help locate likely carriers of the coronavirus in order to test them.
As the economy continues to crash, the government published its major economic plan to soften the blow of the coronavirus outbreak.
2
Hamas is prepping for mass quarantines, including building two large isolation facilities to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the Gaza Strip.

In the West Bank, Palestnian Authority intelligence services have managed to secure 10,000 coronavirus testing kits from China.

Israel's UN ambassador has taken PA President Mahmoud Abbas to task for spreading the false charge that IDF soldiers are spreading coronavirus in the West Bank.

3
An Israeli woman has been indicted for allegedly spying for the Lebanese-based Hezbollah terrorist group. The 25-year-old is charged with "contact with a foreign agent, handing information to an enemy with the intent to harm state security and providing a service to a terrorist organization." (Ynet)

Commentary I'm reading

- Did Benny Gantz betray Israel … or save it? (Jonathan Tobin)

- Coronavirus in Gaza is both a threat and an opportunity for Israel (Alex Fishman)

- Israel’s edge: Netanyahu-Gantz superstorm distracts from coronavirus dread (Chemi Shalev)

- Netanyahu seeks to draw out unity talks, as Gantz’s hand weakens (Raoul Wootliff)

- Win-win coalition? Both Netanyahu and Gantz can make case for victory in talks (Haviv Rettig Gur)

- Despite self-quarantine, for Netanyahu it’s mostly business as usual (Raphael Ahren)

- What Iran’s severe virus crisis might mean for its threat to the region (Ron Kampeas)

- Benny Gantz just sold out Israel’s perilously ill democracy (Gershom Gorenberg)

- Wanted: A non-bloated, non-bankrupt government (Ben-Dror Yemini)

- Netanyahu won, but Israel's right wing lost (Nave Dromi)

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IsraBite News: Gantz Splits Blue and White to Form Unity Gov't

1
High political drama even by Israeli standards as Blue and White leader Benny Gantz was elected Knesset Speaker with the votes of PM Benjamin Netanyahu's political bloc with the aim of negotiating a unity government deal.

This came at the cost of Gantz's Blue and White alliance. Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid and Moshe Ya'alon's Telem factions broke away rather than sit in a Netanyahu-led coalition. The dust has yet to settle as some individual MKs contemplate which side to go with.

According to the emerging deal, Netanyahu will continue to serve as PM fwith Gantz serving initially as foreign or defense minister before taking over as prime minister in September 2021.


See below for plenty of commentary on whether Gantz betrayed his voters or responsibly put the country first.

2
A 92-year-old man has become Israel's 13th coronavirus fatality. An 82-year-old Israeli man in Italy also died of the disease. As of Sunday morning, there have been 3,865 confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel.

Coronavirus has not stopped immigration to Israel as more than 800 new immigrants have arrived since the beginning of March, with another 200 expected before the start of the Passover holiday on April 8.

The Observer takes a look at why Passover will, thanks to corona, be particularly different this year.

3
Palestinian groups cancelled mass rallies along the Gaza border planned to mark the second anniversary of the "Great March of Return" due to the coronavirus. Weekly protests had led to regular violence on the border.

The relative calm caused by the coronavirus was broken Friday night after a rocket launched from Gaza landed in an open field in southern Israel. In response, IDF tanks and aircraft attacked three sites belonging to Hamas.

The Palestinian Authority reported six new coronavirus patients on Sunday morning bringing the total number of known COVID-19 patients in the PA to 104.

4
Britain's Prince Harry faces a backlash over plans to invite injured Israeli soldiers to compete at his 2022 Invictus Games for wounded and sick military personnel and veterans. (Mail on Sunday)

5
Antisemitism watch: A renowned Italian painter unveiled his latest canvas this week — a grotesquely antisemitic depiction of hook-nosed Jews engaged in the “ritual murder” of a terrified Christian infant.


A German Spiegel magazine journalist walked back his description of Israel’s government as the first “Corona Dictatorship” after facing days of intense criticism that he spread antisemitism on the news outlet's website.

Commentary I'm reading

- The shared hell of the coronavirus will change the world for the better (Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks)

- Israel's democracy was never in danger (Jonathan Tobin)

- Defeating the epidemic of hatred (Nadav Shragai)

- Defying ruthless, deadlocked politics, Gantz sacrifices everything for stability (Haviv Rettig Gur)

- Gantz lost trust in Netanyahu, but coronavirus made him compromise (Gil Hoffman)

- Abandoning core vow, doesn’t Gantz risk harming the democracy he said he’d save? (David Horovitz)

- Did Gantz sacrifice his party for the country, or was he outmanoeuvred by Netanyahu? (Anshel Pfeffer)

If the PA lacks funds to combat the coronavirus, it should stop paying salaries to terrorists (Yossi Kuperwasser)

- Israel is coronavirus light unto Arab nations (Smadar Perry)

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Right-Wing MKs To Boycott Knesset After High Court Ruling?


A Virtual Hug from HonestReporting

Yesterday, we sent a "virtual hug" to our readers and the responses were incredibly heartwarming.

 

We're hunkered down at home juggling work and family, not knowing how the situation will play out. Your messages of encouragement, appreciation and concern remind us we can all make it through these trying times with our optimism intact.

 

Stay safe and healthy.

Pesach Benson

1
In  a boost to Benny Gantz and a blow to Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Supreme Court said that Health Ministry instructions didn't justify closing the Knesset, and further ordered Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein to hold a vote on his successor by Wednesday.

 

There's been talk of MKs from the Right-wing bloc boycotting today's Knesset deliberations. 

2
Israel is considering tightening the national lockdown as the number of positive diagnoses climbed to 1,238. More at the Times of Israel and Jerusalem Post.

 

In other corona-related news, the Islamic Waqf, which administers the Temple Mount, closed the Al-Aqsa Mosque to Muslim worshippers. It's the first time Muslims were told not to visit the mosque. And the International Criminal Court said it was postponing its investigation of alleged Israeli "war crimes" in the West Bank.

3
The pandemic has given Israel an unprecedented opportunity to cooperate with other Arab countries. Why isn't it happening?

4
A 32-year-old Palestinian man throwing rocks and dropping boulders at Israeli cars in the West Bank was shot and killed as soldiers dispersed him and and his accomplices. The rock-throwing has become a regular occurrence in recent days. (Ynet)

Video: Coronavirus: Israel Beyond the Headlines

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Commentary I'm reading

- Corona: Responsibility for Gaza will fall on Israel's shoulders (Prof. Eyal Zisser)

- Palestinians: Fighting against coronavirus, for freedom of speech (Khaled Abu Toameh)

- Anti-Israel NGOs exploit COVID-19 to spread hatred (Becca Wertman)

- The coronavirus is no reason to let the Iranian regime off the hook (Jonathan Tobin)

- Democracy resumes as the Knesset reopens, but the political crisis is deepening (Haviv Rettig Gur)

- Paternal doomsayer Netanyahu fights virus, and accusation he’s undoing democracy (David Horovitz)

- Netanyahu's unity problem: No one trusts him (Yuval Karni)

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Holocaust Survivor is Israel's First Coronavirus Fatality

1
Israel buried its first corona fatality on Saturday night. Holocaust survivor Aryeh Even was laid to rest in Jerusalem in a funeral restricted to 20 people keeping social distance.

 

The number of Israelis diagnosed with the coronavirus jumped to 945.

2
The first two case sof COVID-19 were confirmed in Gaza. And in the West Bank, Palestinians reported 57 cases -- of which 17 have recovered. The Media Line takes a closer look at Israeli-Palestinian cooperation in the battle against the pandemic.

3
My health care plan doesn't promise 72 virgins.

 

Associated Press: "Iran’s supreme leader Sunday refused U.S. assistance to fight the new coronavirus, citing an unfounded conspiracy theory that the virus could be man-made by America."

4
No progress to report on efforts to form a new government. Likud and Blue and White parties remain stuck, the Knesset is paralyzed over who its next speaker will be, and unelected Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is viewed by many as democracy's last safeguard.

Commentary I'm reading

- Palestinian leaders use coronavirus to attack Israel (Khaled Abu Toameh)

- Coronavirus crisis forces Israel and Palestinians to stare into the same abyss (Amos Harel)

- With Iran struggling under weight of coronavirus, will it act out against Israel and America?  (Israel Kasnett)

- In Israel, the pandemic becomes an instrument of preserving power (Ron Kampeas)

- With a pandemic as cover, Netanyahu is carrying out a coup in Israel (Gershom Gorenberg)

- In Israel, stiff upper lips and gallows humor greet the coronavirus (Dana Kessler)

- The 'no Jewish state' solution (Mitchell Bard)

Reuters: Gaza, Coronavirus and Dishonesty
BY DANIEL POMERANTZ  MARCH 18, 2020

In a stunning display of misleading journalism and demonstrating its anti-Israel agenda, Reuters promotes the myth that restrictions on Gaza are somehow comparable to global quarantines defending against the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Reuters

@Reuters
'Dear world, how is the lockdown?': A sly dig at the international community, this is just one among a torrent of social media posts that has emerged from the blockaded Gaza Strip in the wake of the #coronavirus pandemic https://reut.rs/2WkFajL  via @NidalAl

https://honestreporting.com/reuters-gaza-coronavirus-and-dishonesty/
Blockaded Gaza looks wryly on as world isolates itself
"Dear world, how is the lockdown? Gaza."
reuters.com
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11:48 AM - Mar 18, 2020
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In the article, Reuters shares a number of tweets from Gaza residents such as this one:

We in Gaza have been living this for 14 years.

Reuters did not commit an ethical breach by sharing tweets from Gaza residents: Gaza is a part of our world and is deemed newsworthy. However, as a body of professional journalists, Reuters has a duty to also share context and balance.  For example, Reuters:

Makes no mention of the 11,560 rockets fired from Gaza into Israel that necessitated a blockade in the first place.
Shares no balancing tweets from the Israelis who have lived (and died) under that rocket fire.
Makes no mention of the massive arms shipments from Iran that the Gaza blockade has prevented, nor how many innocent Israeli lives were saved as a result.
Fails to mention that Hamas (the group that rules Gaza) is officially designated as a terror organization by Australia, Canada, Egypt, the EU, Israel, the UK, and the  United States.
Fails to mention that the Hamas founding charter commits the terror group to the total destruction of all of Israel.
Does not even mention the significant cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian health officials.
For a quick peek into some of Israel’s containment measures and general updates, here’s a recording of a “livestream” we broadcast on Monday. Though the situation is continuing to change, this gives at least a bit of an insight into the evolving nature of daily life in Israel.

There are many international stories relevant to COVID-19: Italy’s desperate measures, South Korea’s massive testing, the UK and its backtracking from a unique “herd immunity” approach, even Israel with its aggressive containment strategy and furious work toward a vaccine.

However, this Reuters article is not relevant to COVID-19 nor is it newsworthy in that context . Instead, this article reads like like a transparent excuse to say something negative about Israel at any cost: even at the cost of basic journalistic ethics.

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Israeli Politicians Clash Over Democracy Amid Corona Crisis
1
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein of the Likud has ordered the Knesset shut at least until Monday after the Blue and White party refused his proposal of having equal representation in the Knesset’s so-called Arrangements Committee, which is tasked with overseeing the formation and operation of the parliament.

Even Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has called on Edelstein to reopen the Knesset and not to harm Israeli democracy.

Many Israelis are demanding greater parliamentary oversight given PM Netanyahu's interim government's controversial measures to fight the coronavirus including allowing the Shin Bet security service access to citizens' cellphone movements.

Read a good analysis courtesy of Haviv Rettig Gur.

Meanwhile, the number of Israelis with coronavirus jumped Thursday morning to 529, according to the Health Ministry. An additional Israeli was listed as in critical condition – bringing the total to six – but the majority of those afflicted (498) have mild symptoms, the ministry reported. Thirteen Israelis are in moderate condition and 12 have recovered.

2
Let's have some good news: The fall in economic activity and in particular car journeys and public transport use has significantly improved Israel's air quality.
 
The S&P global ratings agency believes Israel will avoid a recession, citing Israel's strong economy and the shekel's depreciation as factors that will help Israel overcome the virus crisis.

3
Antisemitism Watch: The coronavirus is a Zionist plot spread by Jews to decrease the world population, some members of Turkey's press and public have said, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute.

South African anti-Israel activists are pushing the false claim that Israel has not published Arabic-language guidelines for dealing with the coronavirus out of contempt for its Arab citizens — despite the fact that these materials are readily accessible on the Israeli Health Ministry’s website.

Video: We Can Beat COVID-19. Here’s How

Commentary I'm reading

- Can the Arab world cope with the coronavirus? (Edy Cohen)

- The coronavirus and the Palestinians (Pinhas Inbari)

- Israel is in all-out war with the coronavirus (Giora Eiland)

- Knesset work stalled as Likud refuses to accept its minority role (Moran Azulay)