Top GOP fundraiser defects to Clinton over ‘demagogue’ Trump

PM backs Regev: ‘Fascism’ is left’s term for its enemies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hits back at critics of Culture Minister Miri Regev, who accused her of borderline fascist remarks when she questioned why the government could not control the message of the state-funded public broadcaster.

“Fascism is a derogatory term of the left for its enemies,” Netanyahu tells a special session of the Knesset to commemorate the late right-wing Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky.

“They said Jabotinsky was a ‘fascist’ — does that sound familiar? I suggest my colleagues read the Hebrew encyclopedia entry on fascism,” he says, according to Haaretz. “There’s a sentence by the author that states that ‘there was a tendency within the left to denigrate opponents as fascist.’ It is a derogatory name of the left for its enemies.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in the Knesset during a special session marking the anniversary of right-wing Zionist leader Zeev Jabotinsky’s death, on August 3, 2016. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Hezbollah chief meets with head of Iran’s defense committee

Hezbollah says its leader Hassan Nasrallah has held talks in Lebanon with Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of Iran’s Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security.

A statement released by the Lebanon-based terror group says the talks centered on recent political and security developments in the region, the Hebrew-language Walla website reports.

Dubai airport shuts after Emirates plane crash lands

Dubai airport, the world’s busiest in terms of international passengers, says it has shut down following the accident involving a landing Emirates plane.

“All operations (arrivals and departures) at DXB have been suspended until further notice following the incident involving flight EK521,” Dubai Airports says on Twitter.

All operations (arrivals and departures) at DXB have been suspended until further notice following the incident involving flight EK521

— Dubai Airports (@DubaiAirports) August 3, 2016

All 275 passengers on board the plane coming from India were evacuated safely, the government says, as footage on social media shows smoke billowing from the aircraft. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.

— AFP

Video by Egypt’s Islamic State affiliate threatens Israel

A video purportedly by Egypt’s Islamic State affiliate delivers a threat to Israel, saying the Jewish state will soon “pay a high price.”

The 35-minute video, posted on social media this week, also purports to show footage of alleged attacks by IS militants against Egyptian security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.

It ends with footage depicting what is said to be the killing of two Egyptian policemen, each shot in the head.

Egypt’s branch of the Islamic State group is spearheading an insurgency in northern Sinai that had simmered for years but grew stronger and deadlier after the 2013 ouster of an Islamist president.

The video’s authenticity could not immediately be verified but its contents and production style mirrored previous IS propaganda material.

— AP

Hollande: Trump’s comments can turn your stomach

French President Francois Hollande strongly criticizes Donald Trump, saying some of the things the Republican nominee comes out with make him sick, according to three people present at a meeting with members of the French Presidential Press Association.

“Some excesses make your stomach turn, even in the United States, especially when — as did Donald Trump — he speaks ill of a soldier, of the memory of a soldier,” Hollande says, in reference to Trump’s recent comments about Capt. Humayun Khan, a US Muslim soldier killed in Iraq in 2004.

Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll says Hollande’s comments are a response to Trump’s recent verbal attacks on France.

“In this [US presidential] campaign, there are some extremely unusual types of comments,” Le Foll tells reporters following a Cabinet meeting.

— AP

Israel probing Italian journalist over Hezbollah interviews

Israel’s Government Press Office is investigating an Italian reporter who interviewed Israeli leaders for what turned out to be a Hezbollah documentary on the Second Lebanon War.

The Ynet news website says the GPO “is taking steps” against Michela Moni and Italy’s ANSA news agency over the documentary, and even called the head of ANSA to demand an explanation.

“This is a severe situation which borders on fraud and misrepresentation, and which goes against professional journalistic standards,” says GPO chief Nitzan Chen.

Moni claims to have been duped by a Palestinian producer into believing that the footage was to be used by the BBC and Al-Jazeera.

Trump aide blames Obama for 2004 death of Muslim soldier

A spokeswoman for Donald Trump blames Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for the 2004 killing of American-Muslim Capt. Humayun Khan in Iraq — even though the death occurred more than four years before Obama became president.

Trump has been in a public fight with Khan’s parents after his father criticized the Republican nominee at last week’s Democratic convention.

Katrina Pierson tells CNN that, “It was under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton that changed the rules of engagements that probably cost his life.”

Obama was a state senator in Illinois in 2004. Clinton was a senator representing New York who in 2002 voted in favor of the Iraq War.

Trump has been widely criticized, including by many Republicans, for denouncing the Khans.

Pierson’s comments are a trending topic on Twitter under the hashtag #KatrinaPiersonHistory.

Remember that time when Obama and Hillary killed off the last Tyrannosaurus Rex? Jerks. #KatrinaPiersonHistory pic.twitter.com/7wTymWyNTa

— Professor Axiom (@ProfAxiom) August 3, 2016

— AP

Rivlin: No pardon for jailed ‘celebrity’ rabbi

President Reuven Rivlin rules out a pardon for Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto, who is currently serving a year-long prison sentence for attempted bribery and obstruction of justice.

Rivlin made the decision in accordance with recommendations from the Justice Ministry, Channel 2 says.

The rabbi enjoys an international following among celebrities and business leaders as well as high-powered contacts in the Israeli government.

Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto is seen entering Nitzan prison on February 16, 2016, at the start of a one-year prison term. (Flash90)

Lithuanian mayor asked to ban parties at former concentration camp

A prominent Nazi-hunter from Israel and the Jewish Community of Lithuania are calling on the city of Kaunas to stop the use of a former concentration camp for recreational purposes.

Efraim Zuroff, the Israel director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, writes to Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijosaitis about the area known as the Seventh Fort, after it emerged that various activities are being held in the grounds, including treasure hunts, summer camps, costume parties for adults, camping excursions and BBQ parties.

A film crew preparing to record at the former concentration camp known as the Seventh Fort in Kaunas, Lithuania, July 12, 2016. (Cnaan Liphshiz)

“As you no doubt are aware, the site of the mass murder of several thousand Jews in 1941 was privatized several years ago, and has now been turned into a recreation and entertainment center which violates the memory of the victims,” writes Zuroff, who conducted his own investigation of the site together with the Lithuanian novelist Ruta Vanagaite.

“I urge you to immediately suspend such activities at the Seventh Fort and find a way to restore the site to the municipality or to an organization whose purpose will be to honor the memory of the victims, rather than insult them,” adds Zuroff.

— JTA

Elderly woman shackled to wheelchair in summer heat

An MK is calling for greater oversight after an elderly woman in Bnei Brak is left tied to her wheelchair in the searing summer heat for close to an hour.

“I saw the woman chained to a fence with her chair, I went to do my shopping and when I returned, I saw her still there,” a local resident tells Channel 2. “I went to ask her if she need anything and whether I could get her some water, and I saw she was sweating profusely and could barely speak to me.”

The passerby says she found the elderly woman’s foreign caregiver in a nearby shop, and that the carer apologized at once and went to fetch water for her charge.

“If this is how the worker cares for an elderly woman outside of the house, I am scared to think what goes on inside it,” says Zionist Union MK Itzik Shmuly, who heads the Knesset lobby for the protection of the elderly. “It is time for the National Insurance Institute to start monitoring the field of home carers.”

The temperature in Bnei Brak today reached a high of 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit).

מזעזע: קשישה מרותקת לכיסא גלגלים נקשרה לגדר במשך 40 דקות בחום, בזמן שהמטפלת שלה עשתה קניותhttps://t.co/c6TPjlbfbO pic.twitter.com/63UcQWeTpf

— חדשות 2 (@Channel2News) August 3, 2016

Court okays house demolition for terrorist who killed teen

The Supreme Court approves a demolition order for the home of Muhammad Nasser Tarayrah, who stabbed to death 13-year-old Hallel Yaffa Ariel in her bed in June, saying family members were at least partially aware of his intentions and supported them after the fact.

The Defense Ministry will now be able to either demolish or seal off the second floor of the building in which the Tarayrah family lives.

Reproduction photo, courtesy of the family, of Hallel Yaffa Ariel, 13, who was stabbed and killed in a terror attack in the settlement of Kiryat Arba, in the West Bank on June 30, 2016 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

While the order was upheld, the court did alter it, refusing the state’s request to demolish not only the second floor, but the first and third floors of the building as well.

In their decision, the judges in the case — Yoram Danziger, Uzi Vogelman and Noam Sohlberg — cite the fact that the family was “aware that the terrorist identified with the idea of carrying out a terror attack against innocent civilians” as justification for the home demolition.

The justices also note the Facebook posts published by Muhammad, which his brother admitted to having seen prior to the attack, as well as statements made by his sister after the fact, praising her brother’s actions.

The court will allow the family 10 days for “preparation” before the residence is cleared for demolition.

— Judah Ari Gross

Report: Trump asked why US can’t use nuclear weapons

Trump asked an unnamed foreign policy guru in March why the US couldn’t use nuclear weapons, the MSNBC news network says.

“Several months ago, a foreign policy expert on the international level went to advise Donald Trump. And three times [Trump] asked about the use of nuclear weapons. Three times he asked at one point if we had them why can’t we use them,” says the network’s morning show host Joe Scarborough.

“That’s one of the reasons why he just doesn’t have foreign policy experts around him,” Scarborough adds during an interview with former CIA chief and National Security Agency director Michael Hayden.

Watch: What are some major concerns about Trump's handling of national security? Hayden and #morningjoe weigh in. https://t.co/FyFoSmJlJI

— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) August 3, 2016

Israel mum on reported plan for underground barrier around Gaza

Israeli officials decline to comment on reports that the government issued a tender for the construction of an underground wall around Gaza to block attack tunnels from the Hamas-run enclave.

Ynet says the Defense Ministry has issued tenders for the building of an underground structure to prevent tunnels being dug into Israel.

The report says the barrier would have sensors to detect digging and would eventually run the length of the 60-kilometer Gaza border.

This February 10, 2016, file photo shows IDF soldiers keeping watch as a machine drills holes in the ground on the Israeli side of the border with the Gaza Strip as they search for tunnels used by Palestinian terrorists planning to attack Israel. (AFP PHOTO/MENAHEM KAHANA)

Ynet does not specify how deep the wall would be, but says the tender has been submitted to 20 Israeli companies for bids.

“The Ministry of Defense is not commenting on the report,” a spokeswoman says. Netanyahu’s office also declines to comment.

— AFP

DC cop caught in terror sting, charged with trying to aid IS

US authorities say a Washington, DC-area transit police officer has been charged in an FBI sting with attempting to support the Islamic State group.

The FBI says he is the first law enforcement officer in the US to be charged with a terror-related crime.

Court documents say 36-year-old Nicholas Young of Fairfax was arrested this morning. According to an affidavit, Young bought nearly $250 in gift cards he intended for the Islamic State to use to purchase mobile apps that would facilitate communication. But Young actually gave the gift cards to an undercover FBI source.

Documents show Young has been under surveillance since 2010, and that he traveled to Libya twice in 2011, where he said he joined rebel forces seeking to oust dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Officials say Young did not pose any threat to the Metro system.

— AP

Top Republican fundraiser defects to Clinton

A prominent Republican activist and fundraiser says she will back Democrat Hillary Clinton for president and give money to her campaign to stop her own party’s nominee Donald Trump, repudiating him as a dangerous demagogue.

Hewlett-Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman speaks at a press conference in New York on November 2, 2015. (AFP PHOTO/JEWEL SAMAD)

“I will vote for Hillary, I will talk to my Republican friends about helping her, and I will donate to her campaign and try to raise money for her,” Meg Whitman tells The New York Times.

The billionaire Whitman, who is CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and used to be chief executive of eBay, calls Trump a “dishonest demagogue” whose election would lead the US “on a very dangerous journey.”

She also stands by remarks earlier this year in which she compared Trump to Hitler and Mussolini, and says dictators often come to power by democratic means.

Whitman will donate an amount in the “mid-six figures” to the Clinton campaign, the Times says, quoting one of her aides.

— AFP

Pope: I felt presence of murdered souls at Auschwitz

Pope Francis says he felt the souls of those murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau during his silent visit to the former Nazi death camp in Poland last week.

“The great silence of the visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau was more eloquent than any word spoken could have been,” Francis says during his weekly public audience at the Vatican.

“In that silence I listened: I felt the presence of all the souls who passed through that place; I felt the compassion, the mercy of God, which a few holy souls were been able to bring even into that abyss,” he says.

Visiting Auschwitz, the pope says, made him pray to resolve the evils of today’s world.

“Looking upon that cruelty, in that concentration camp,” he says, “I thought immediately of the cruelties of today, which are similar — not as concentrated as in that place, but everywhere in the world, this world that is sick with cruelty, pain, war, hatred, sadness; and this is why I always ask you for the prayer, that the Lord give us peace.”

Pope Francis walks towards the main entrance with the words ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ (Work Sets You Free) at the former Nazi German Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Oswiecim, Poland on July 29, 2016 (AFP PHOTO/FILIPPO MONTEFORTE)

— JTA

Trump ‘scares the hell out of me,’ says NY police chief

The head of the largest city police department in America says Donald Trump “scares the hell” out of him.

“Mr Trump scares me, scares the hell out of me, to be quite frank with you,” New York police commissioner Bill Bratton tells CBS News, a day after announcing that he will retire in September.

Bratton, who has spent 45 years in public service, says he does not “get” why the Republican nominee commands so much support.

New York Police Commissioner William Bratton (2nd-L) speaks to the media, with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (C) in New York on March 22, 2016, following a series of bombings claimed by the Islamic State group in Brussels, Belgium. (AFP PHOTO/EDUARDO MUNOZ)

“I’m amazed that veterans groups are so charmed by him,” says the police chief, who himself served in Vietnam. “I’ve just watched this whole campaign and I just shake my head.”

Bratton chastises Trump’s “lack of depth on issues” and his lack of compassion, and questions his refusal to apologize to the parents of a US Army captain killed in Iraq, who assailed Trump’s portrayal of Muslim Americans.

“It’s a lot tougher being soft and understanding when you need to be soft. Like, the apology to this family,” he says, referring to bereaved parents Khizr and Ghazala Khan. “There’s no compassion there, it’s all about him and never about anybody else. Strange times.”

— AFP

Israeli cops to start wearing body cams

Israeli traffic and patrol cops are to start wearing body cameras in a new trial across the country, as part of efforts to boost confidence in law enforcement officials.

Unveiling the new initiative, Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alscheich and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan say the first stage will involve 150 patrol officers and five teams of traffic cops. The scheme will then be extended to all patrol officers in Israel.

The cameras will be in operation at all times, with the exception of cases involving sexual assault, when the alleged victim will not appear; in hospitals, schools or other sensitive institutions; and during public demonstrations.

According to the police, the cameras will be placed in a prominent location, so that people are aware they are being recorded. The recordings will only be seen by authorized personnel and only then in the execution of their duties. Steps will also be taken to ensure that the footage is not publicly released, unless a particular case justifies it.

The Public Security Ministry has earmarked NIS 40 million for the project, the police say.

היום יוצא לדרך פיילוט במשטרת ישראל, במסגרתו שוטרים יישאו על מדיהם מצלמה ויתעדו את פעילותם, בהתאם לנוהל שגובש בנושא pic.twitter.com/6OiMWUnnoU

— משטרת ישראל (@IL_police) August 3, 2016

Police searching for carer who left elderly charge tied to fence

The police are trying to locate the foreign carer who left her elderly charge tied in her wheelchair to fence in the summer heat.

“We have launched an investigation into the incident and we are trying to identify the carer, as this is a very serious case of abuse of the helpless,” the NRG website quotes the police as saying.

Anyone with information on the matter is asked to contact the police by calling 100.

Islamic State group announces new Boko Haram leader

Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamic extremists have a new leader who promises to end attacks on mosques and markets used by Muslims, according to an interview published today by the Islamic State group.

The group’s al-Nabaa newspaper identifies Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new “Wali” of its West Africa Province, a title previously used to describe long-time leader Abubakar Shekau.

Boko Haram fighters parading with a tank in an unidentified town, in a screen capture taken on November 9, 2014 from a new video released by the Nigerian Islamist extremist group and obtained by AFP shows. (AFP/HO/Boko Haram)

The interview with al-Barnawi indicates a major change in strategy for the Nigerian extremists, who have attacked mosques with suicide bombers and gunmen, blown up suicide bombers in crowded marketplaces and killed and kidnapped school children. The targeting of students accounts for its nickname Boko Haram, which means Western education is sinful or forbidden.

— AP

Jewish ex-Navy SEAL wins GOP primary for Missouri governor

Eric Greitens, a Jewish former Navy SEAL, wins the Republican Party primary for Missouri governor and will face Democrat Chris Koster in November.

Greitens served in Iraq from 2003 to 2007 and is the recipient of seven military awards, including a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He is a former Rhodes Scholar with a PhD from Oxford and the author of four books including a collection of inspirational letters to a fellow Navy SEAL struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In a March 2015 interview, Greitens told The Forward that he is “proud to be Jewish,” and that he saw his entry into politics as an extension of the Jewish mandate of tikkun olam.

— JTA

Katsav ‘optimistic’ at prospect of early release

Disgraced former president Moshe Katsav is telling his inner circle that he is “optimistic” he will be granted parole tomorrow.

Katsav, who is four and a half years into a seven-year sentence for rape and other offenses, is seeking to have his term cut by one third, which would mean his release. The decision is expected tomorrow at 1 p.m.

Former president Moshe Katsav, left, serving a seven-year sentence for rape, seen with his wife, Gila, leaving Ma’asiyahu Prison for a furlough over the Jewish holiday of Passover, April 3, 2015 (Flash90)

If he is released, the former president will be subject to strict parole conditions, Channel 2 says. He will not be able to work or give interviews to the media, and will have to report regularly to the authorities.

According to Channel 2, the state prosecutor will appeal if Katsav is granted parole.

Cops who took bike from Palestinian girl questioned under caution

Two Border Police officers who took a bicycle from an 8-year-old Palestinian girl in Hebron are questioned under caution by the Police Investigations Department.

The two are suspected of abusing their power, Channel 10 reports.

One of the two cops was suspended yesterday, after B’Tselem released footage of the incident that took place last month.

Iranian hard-liner arrested for criticizing army

Iran’s official IRNA news agency reports that the authorities have arrested a hard-line theorist for criticizing the Iranian army.

The report says that Hassan Abbasi, the head of the Center for Doctrinal Strategic Studies, a think-tank, was arrested on charges of “spreading lies” and “creating an atmosphere of skepticism about the armed forces.”

In a video published on social media networks in Iran, Abbasi, who calls himself the “Kissinger of Islam,” criticizes the army for inaction, particularly when it comes to social and political issues.

He later appears in a military court, and defends his remarks that drew strong condemnation from the army and the powerful Revolutionary Guards.

Abbasi is known in Iran for his divisive speeches on subjects including economics, history, politics and cinema.

— AP

US gave Iran $400m in cash when prisoners released — WSJ

The US government secretly airlifted $400 million in cash to Iran at the same time as the release in January of four Americans detained in the Islamic Republic, the Wall Street Journal says.

The report cites US and European officials and congressional staff briefed on the operation after it was completed.

The money, in euros, Swiss francs and other currencies, was flown to Iran stacked on wooden pallets. It had been procured from the central banks of the Netherlands and Switzerland, according to the report.

Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian, center, appears with his wife Yeganeh Salehi and mother Mary Reazaian in Germany on January 20, 2016, following his release from Iranian custody (screen capture: YouTube)

The money was part of a $1.7 billion settlement the Obama administration reached with Iran over a failed arms deal signed in 1979, before the fall of Iran’s last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

In his announcement of the settlement, immediately after the release of the American hostages in Iran — including the Washington Post’s Tehran bureau chief, Jason Rezaian — President Barack Obama did not mention the cash payment.

— JTA

GOP bigwigs mulling intervention as Trump remains off-kilter

With the US presidential election just 96 days away, Republican chairman Reince Priebus and a handful of other high-profile party members are considering directly confronting Donald Trump following a series of startling stances and statements, including his refusal to endorse GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan’s re-election and his continued criticism of the family of a slain American Muslim soldier.

The party chairman has been speaking with Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the candidate’s grown children, who are reportedly in agreement that he needs to stop picking fights within his own party.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich may join Priebus and another Trump ally, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, in specifically urging the nominee to adjust his approach, according to an unnamed Republican official with direct knowledge of Priebus’ thinking.

There is great unity in my campaign, perhaps greater than ever before. I want to thank everyone for your tremendous support. Beat Crooked H!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 3, 2016

— AP

Obama commutes sentences of 214 drug offenders

Obama commutes the sentences of 214 drug offenders, the single biggest act of presidential clemency in over a century.

The White House says the prisoners include 67 people who had been serving life sentences. Most were guilty of non-violent crimes, many involving possession or distribution of crack cocaine.

The actions “represent the most grants in a single day since at least 1900,” says Neil Eggleston, the White House counsel to the president. He says that those receiving a commutation had been “incarcerated under outdated and unduly harsh sentencing laws,” CBS reports.

The move is part of Obama’s effort to push ahead with criminal justice reform. The United States currently has among the world’s highest incarceration rates and puts a disproportionate number of black and Hispanic Americans behind bars.

Obama has now made 562 commutations, “more commutations than the previous nine presidents combined,” Eggleston says.

— AP

Top Iranian official: Israel cannot defeat Hezbollah

The head of Iran’s Foreign Policy and the National Security Committee, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said Hezbollah has “tens of thousands of rockets,” and warned that any attempts by Israel to defeat the terror group would ultimately fail, Lebanon’s Daily Star newspaper reports.

Boroujerdi visited Lebanon last week, the Star says. He also met today with the Syrian parliament speaker in Damascus.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of Iran’s Foreign Policy and the National Security Committee, speaks to the press after a meeting with the Syrian parliament speaker in Damascus, on August 3, 2016. (AFP PHOTO/LOUAI BESHARA)