Poster of Jewish Temple, without Dome of the Rock, ‘thrust’ in front of US envoy

Mahmoud Abbas hospitalized for third day, without a release date

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas remains in hospital for a third day Tuesday with pneumonia, with a hospital spokeswoman saying there is as yet no timeframe for his discharge.

“He is doing fine but still needs to take care,” the spokeswoman for the Istishari Arab Hospital near Ramallah tells AFP. “Until now there is no news about a timeframe for when he might leave.”

Pictures and video of 83-year-old Abbas walking around the wards and reading a newspaper were published late Monday, in an apparent attempt to calm rumors that his condition was more serious than reported.

— AFP

Egyptian army said to intensify home demolitions in Sinai

Egypt’s military intensifies home demolitions in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula as part of its campaign against a local affiliate of the Islamic State group, an international rights group says Tuesday.

The military launches a massive security operation in early February in restive northern Sinai, the epicenter of an Islamic insurgency spearheaded by the local IS affiliate. The campaign also includes parts of the Nile Delta region and the Western Desert, along the porous border with Libya.

Human Rights Watch says in a report that Egypt’s military vastly expanded widespread destruction of homes, commercial buildings and farms in Northern Sinai province since February 9.

“The new destruction, including hundreds of hectares of farmland and at least 3,000 homes and commercial buildings, together with 600 buildings destroyed in January, is the largest since the army officially began evictions in 2014,” HRW says.

— AP

Cop accused of breaking Arab activist’s knee denies guilt

The police officer accused of breaking the leg of an Arab Israeli rights activist who was in police custody gives testimony Tuesday to investigators probing the incident.

The officer, who has not been named in media, gave his version of events to the Justice Ministry’s Police Internal Investigations Department over the wounding of Jafar Farah, director of the prominent Mossawa Center NGO, which bills itself as “the advocacy center for Arab citizens in Israel.”

Farah was arrested with 20 other people during a Gaza Strip solidarity rally over the weekend that has since sparked accusations of police violence. He claims a police officer kicked his leg, breaking his knee, while he was in a detention facility on Friday night.

The officer denies using force against Farah.

Other officers who were with Farah while he was in police custody also give testimony Tuesday, reportedly saying he was not injured by anyone involved in his detention, suggesting instead that he hurt his leg during the scuffles at the demonstration, according to the Haaretz daily.

Erdan backs probe into cop accused of wounding Arab activist, slams EU

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, whose ministry is responsible for the Israel Police, says “we trust [Police Internal Investigations Department] will complete its investigation swiftly in a professional manner, and will dispel the cloud hanging over the incident.”

He refers to allegations that a police officer, as yet unnamed, broke the knee of prominent Arab Israeli rights activist Jafar Farah when he was detained after a weekend protest in Haifa that turned violent.

Erdan also slams the European Union, which called earlier today for an inquiry into the circumstances behind Farah’s injuries.

The EU should not “get involved in internal Israeli matters,” Erdan says. “Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, doesn’t need any moral coaxing from a misguided and obsessive entity like the European Union.”

Police chief says no evidence yet of police wrongdoing in Arab activist’s case

Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich says there is no evidence yet of wrongdoing in the alleged wounding while in custody of a prominent Israeli Arab rights activist.

Jafar Farah was arrested over the weekend at a protest in Haifa over Israel’s policies toward Gaza. According to Farah, a police officer kicked him in the knee and broke it while he was being questioned.

“The [Police Internal Investigations Department in the Justice Ministry] has received all the materials [from the case] and is investigating as it sees fit,” Alsheich says Tuesday. “Right now, as far as I know, the investigation is still ongoing. We have not received anything that justifies disciplinary action.”

He adds: “It’s natural that any transgressor will come with complaints about the police, and these complaints should be checked.”

Sapling from Anne Frank’s tree twice cut down in Holland park

A sapling from the tree mentioned in Anne Frank’s diary was cut down twice in southern Holland and its commemorative plaque was stolen.

The sapling from Waalwijk, a town located 70 miles south of the Dutch capital, was planted from a cutting of a chestnut tree that in 2010 collapsed outside the Amsterdam building that served as the former hiding place of the Dutch teenage Holocaust diarist.

Unidentified individuals broke the sapling in Waalwijk over the weekend. Park gardeners then bandaged it and announced they had saved it. But hours after the repair, the tree was again broken, the Brabants Dagblad daily reports Tuesday.

“I call this an assault on acceptable behavior and tolerance,” Theo van Bracht, chairman of the foundation that is responsible for the park and which arranged the cutting’s planting there, tells the newspaper.

Frank, who spent two years in hiding until the Nazi Germans caught her and deported her to a death camp, wrote about the tree in the journal whose publication in 1947 has made her one of the world’s best-known Holocaust victims. After the tree collapsed during a storm, cuttings were taken from it and planted across the Netherlands and around the world.

— JTA

Palestinians unlikely to return to Syria’s Yarmouk after government recapture

The UN says it is almost impossible to imagine people returning to Syria’s ruined Yarmouk Palestinian camp, a day after the government recaptured it from jihadists.

Syrian troops seized control of Yarmouk and other neighborhoods in the south of the capital Damascus on Monday after a month-long assault against the Islamic State group.

Yarmouk has been so heavily battered by fighting that it was hard to picture daily life restarting there, the United Nations’ refugee agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, says on Tuesday.

“Yarmuk was once the thriving home of 160,000 Palestinians. Today it lies in ruins, with hardly a house untouched by the conflict,” spokesman Chris Gunness says.

“The public health system, water, electricity, basic services for life are severely damaged. The debris of this pitiless conflict is everywhere,” he tells AFP. “In that environment, it is hard to see how people can go back.”

— AFP

Mobileye’s autonomous car runs red light in Jerusalem

A self-driving car being tested on Jerusalem’s roads by the Israeli autonomous vehicle firm Mobileye runs a red light while on a test drive, Channel 10 reports.

According to the company, the incident, which happened last week, was caused by television film equipment placed on the vehicle for a Channel 10 broadcast report.

The equipment somehow “disrupted the traffic light’s transmission,” preventing the car’s sensors from seeing the red light, the company said, according to the business journal Calcalist.

No one was hurt in the incident.

Prof. Amnon Shashua, left, senior VP at Intel and CEO of Mobileye, arrived on stage at CES in the backseat of an autonomous car during the preshow keynote of Intel’s CEO Brian Krzanich, right, in January 2018. (Walden Kirsch/Intel Corp)

Eurovision: ‘Don’t go booking flights just yet’ for contest in Jerusalem

The Eurovision song contest says in a tweet that fans should not “go booking your flights just yet,” as the time and place of next year’s contest has not been set.

Are you already looking forward to next year’s #Eurovision? Us too! But don’t go booking your flights just yet, for official updates on where and when it’ll take place, keep an eye out for announcements on our official channels.
📷: Thomas Hanses pic.twitter.com/O2sp3WOXvJ

— Eurovision (@Eurovision) May 22, 2018

“Are you already looking forward to next year’s #Eurovision? Us too! But don’t go booking your flights just yet, for official updates on where and when it’ll take place, keep an eye out for announcements on our official channels.”

It is not clear if the public statement means the organization is reconsidering holding the event in Israel, as required by the organization’s tradition of having the nation of each year’s winner host the event the following year, or if the Israeli venue and dates are simply not yet finalized.

Security cabinet to begin meeting in underground bunker

Israel’s security cabinet will meet in a new, specially-built underground bunker for the foreseeable future, according to Hadashot television news.

The change of venue — meetings of the security cabinet usually take place in the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem — may signal the heightened sensitivity of upcoming discussions, with some observers in the Hebrew-language media suggesting it may signal the preparation of plans for an escalation in the conflict with Iran.

Dutch broadcaster denies ‘Toy’ parody was anti-Semitic

The Dutch broadcaster BNNVARA denies that the satire of Israel’s Eurovision-winning song “Toy” set against a backdrop of scenes from the Gaza border last week was not meant to be anti-Semitic.

“In Sanne Wallis the Show, events of the past week are discussed in a satirical manner, and last week the winning song festival song of Israel coincidentally coincided with the flaring conflict in the Gaza Strip.The parody questions Israel’s policy and is emphatically not an indictment against the Jewish community,” the broadcaster says.

The parody was harshly criticized by Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands Aviv Shir-On, who said earlier today that it crossed the line from “intense” criticism to anti-Semitic themes, including “mocking kosher food or referring to money in the old anti-Jewish way.”

Poll finds 68% of Israeli teens report encountering anti-Semitic content online

A poll carried out for the US-based Anti-Defamation League finds over two-thirds of Israeli teens say they are exposed to anti-Semitic content online.

The bad news: “Nearly a quarter of those polled reported encountering anti-Semitic expressions on Twitter or in Facebook status updates at least once a month. And more than half said they had encountered hate on Facebook, eclipsing all other social media platforms,” according to a statement by the organization detailing to poll’s findings.

And more bad news: “68% of Israeli youth ages 15-18 report having encountered anti-Semitism online.”

The good news: Those figures are on a decline from a January 2016 poll that found 84% “of young people in Israel reported exposure to anti-Semitism on the Internet and on social networks.”

And more: “The survey found a decline in exposure to anti-Semitic [content] on social network accounts: 65% of those polled said they were exposed to pages with anti-Semitic content, compared to 71% in 2016 and 76% in 2014.”

Despite US protest, 20 airlines, including El Al, list Taiwan as part of China

Global airlines are obeying Beijing’s demands to refer to Taiwan explicitly as a part of China, despite the White House’s call this month to stand firm against such “Orwellian nonsense.”

The Associated Press finds 20 carriers, including Israel’s El Al, as well as Air Canada, British Airways, and Lufthansa, that now refer to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing considers Chinese territory, as a part of China on their global websites.

There are just three days left for dozens of foreign airlines to decide whether to comply with Beijing’s orders, or face consequences that could cripple their China business, including legal sanctions. Many have already sided with Beijing.

The spread of “Taiwan, China” on the drop-down menus and maps of airline websites represents another victory for China’s President Xi Jinping and his ruling Communist Party’s nationalistic effort to force foreign companies to conform to their geopolitical vision, even in operations outside of China.

The AP found that Air Canada, Lufthansa, British Airways, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Asiana Airlines, and Philippine Airlines all have changed the way they refer to Taiwan. SAS airlines, Swissair, Malaysia Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air, Aeroflot, Italy’s Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Air Mauritius, Etihad Airways, Spain’s Iberia, El Al, MIAT Mongolian Airlines, and Russia’s S7 Airlines all also refer to Taiwan as part of China, but it was not immediately clear how long they had been using that formulation.

— AP

Attorney general wades into conflict-of-interest debate over a new police chief

Attorney General Yehudah Weinstein wades into the debate over the appointment of the next commissioner of the Israel Police.

Amid criticism over the possibility that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be involved in choosing the next commissioner, or extending the term of Commissioner Roni Alsheich, while he is himself the subject of multiple criminal investigations, Weinstein sends a letter today to Erdan asking him to “consult with the undersigned so I can examine any concerns over conflict of interest on the part of members of the cabinet who are under police investigations.”

USB drive with secret info on Israel’s submarine fleet lost by contractor

Military and civilian police are investigating the possible loss or theft of a USB drive containing classified information on the Israeli Navy’s submarine fleet.

An employee of the military contractor Rafael reported that she had lost the USB drive after taking it home from the office some two weeks ago, Hadashot television news reports.

Officials note that the removal of the drive from the Rafael office constitutes a serious security breach.

Trump suggests summit with N. Korea’s Kim could be delayed

US President Donald Trump suggests that a planned historic meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un could be delayed. He says, “There’s a very substantial chance that it won’t work out” for June 12.

Trump raises the possibility that the meeting could be pushed back during a White House meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, trying to coordinate strategy as concerns mount over ensuring a successful outcome for the North Korea summit.

Trump tells reporters: “If it doesn’t happen, maybe it happens later,” reflecting recent setbacks in efforts to bring about reconciliation between the two Koreas. The North pulled out of planned peace talks with the South last week, objecting to long-scheduled joint military exercises between US and Republic of Korea forces. And the North threatened to abandon the planned Trump-Kim meeting over US insistence on denuclearizing the peninsula.

“There are certain conditions that we want,” Trump says Tuesday. He adds if they aren’t met, “we won’t have the meeting.” He declines to elaborate on those conditions.

Trump says “there’s a very substantial chance” that the meeting won’t take place on June 12. “That doesn’t mean it won’t work out over a period of time,” he says. “But it may not work out for June 12. But there is a good chance that we’ll have the meeting.”

— AP

Education non-profit presents US envoy photo of Jewish Temple on Temple Mount

US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman receives an unusual gift today: a poster showing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, but with a Jewish Temple standing in place of the Muslim Dome of the Rock shrine at the site.

Friedman was visiting the Bnei Brak headquarters of the Achiya organization, an ultra-Orthodox non-profit that works to empower and integrate children with learning disabilities.

As he takes part in an event at the location, an employee of Achiya hands him the large poster.

The event is first reported by the ultra-Orthodox website Kikar Hashabat. Reached for comment by Channel 10, the US Embassy in Israel slams the gift, saying, according to the Hebrew-language TV report, “We have demanded an apology from the organization for allowing one of its employees to present this controversial image to the ambassador during his visit. The American policy is absolutely clear: We support the status quo on Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount.”

The US Embassy says later that the poster was “thrust” in front of the ambassador, and that he was disappointed to have been taken advantage of.

האם התמונה הזאת שפורסמה ב-@kikarhashabat תסבך את שגריר ארה"ב בישראל? בתמונה, שצולמה בסיור בבני ברק, נראה דיוויד פרידמן כשהוא עומד מחויך ליד צילום של ירושלים, שבו במקום מסגד אל-אקצה נראה דגם של בית המקדש. הדיווח של כתבנו בוושינגטון @nathanguttman #חדשותהערב pic.twitter.com/X15W5aQDxF

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 22, 2018

Israeli nonprofit apologizes for handing US envoy poster of Jewish Temple

Achiya, the Israeli nonprofit whose employee handed US Ambassador David Friedman poster of the Jewish Temple replacing the Muslim Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, apologizes “from the bottom of our heart” for the incident.

The organization helps children with learning disabilities overcome their disabilities, and says the “cheap political act” of an employee “overshadowed” Friedman’s attempt to highlight its good work.

The statement reads in full:

“The management of Achiya wishes to apologize to the American Ambassador in Israel, Mr. David Friedman, and to the US Embassy in Israel.”

“An employee from the Achiya organization handed the ambassador a poster that was not approved by Achiya, the embassy, or the ambassador.”

“We wish to thank Ambassador David Friedman and the embassy staff for the professionalism and generosity they showed in the visit to Achiya to highlight the important work we do to change lives for the better.”

“To our regret, the event was overshadowed by a cheap political act. The employee responsible for that has been identified and has apologized, and we will deal with the issue internally in the organization.”

“We want again to thank the ambassador for his time and apologize from the bottom of our heart for this unnecessary incident.”