To provide greater exposure to primary Israeli news sources and opinions in order to become better informed on the issues, and to gain a better understanding of the wide range of perspectives that exist in Israeli society and politics. Issue 1106 • May 18, 2018 • Shavuot 5778 ISRAEL SAYS HAMAS CURBED GAZA PROTESTS AFTER EGYPTIAN the country for consultations for an undetermined period of time. In response, WARNING (JPost 5/17/18) Israel ordered the Turkish consul in Jerusalem, Husnu Gurcan Turkoglu, who Palestinian protests on the Gaza-Israel border have dropped off over the past is responsible for Turkey’s relations with the Palestinians, to return home for two days, amid reports that Egyptian officials intervened to restore calm. consultations. Turkey’s ambassador to Tel Aviv had already been recalled, Gaza's dominant Islamist Hamas movement denied that it was under as had Turkey’s ambassador in Washington. pressure from neighboring Egypt to scale back the six-week-old In response to Israel expelling the Turkish envoy, Turkey summoned Israel's demonstrations, and said they would continue, although fewer Palestinians consul general in Istanbul, Yossi Levi Safri, and also asked him to leave the were now gathering in protest tents. country. Gaza medics said two Palestinians were shot dead during Tuesday's Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that “Netanyahu is demonstrations along the 51 km (32 mile) border. On Monday, 60 were killed the PM of an apartheid state. ... He has the blood of Palestinians on his in a far greater turnout on the day that the United States relocated its Israel hands and can’t cover up crimes by attacking Turkey.” Commenting on embassy to Jerusalem. Twitter, the Turkish president said Israel has been occupying the land of The bloodiest day for Palestinians in years has created a diplomatic crisis. defenseless people in violation of United Nations resolutions. He suggested The Palestinian Authority, which says Washington has abandoned its role as that Netanyahu consult the Ten Commandments if he wants a lesson in neutral arbiter in the 70-year-old conflict, withdrew its envoy from humanity. Washington. On Wednesday the Palestinian Foreign Ministry announced the In return, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed Erdogan. “A man recall of its envoys in Romania, Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic who sends thousands of Turkish soldiers to hold the occupation of northern because those countries participated in the reception for the U.S. delegation Cyprus and invades Syria will not preach to us when we defend ourselves that inaugurated the embassy. from an attempt by Hamas. A man whose hands are stained with the blood of Pushing back against foreign censure of its army's actions, Israel has - with countless Kurdish citizens in Turkey and Syria is the last person to preach to Washington's backing - accused Hamas of using civilians as cover for attacks us about combat ethics.” across the frontier fence and to distract from Gaza's internal problems. The Irish government summoned the Israeli ambassador, Zeev Boker, over Hamas denies this. the Gaza killings. Ireland has called for an independent UN investigation. Violence along the border was very limited on Wednesday, and the Israeli On Monday, South Africa recalled its ambassador in Israel. “The South Africa army said a tank targeted two Hamas positions in the southern Gaza Strip government condemns in the strongest terms possible the latest act of violent after troops had been fired upon. No casualties were reported by either side. aggression carried out by Israeli armed forces along the Gaza border,” the Israeli aircraft hit four Hamas targets in the northern Gaza Strip after midnight Department of International Relations and Cooperation said. Other countries, in response to heavy machine gun fire that struck several houses earlier in including France and Germany, have condemned Israel’s reaction to the Israeli town of Sderot, an Israeli military statement said. Gaza analyst Akram Attallah, pointing to the smaller number of protesters Israel Report is a Student Publication of since Monday's deaths, said: "I can see there is a retreat because of the Israeli bloody response ... but Friday will represent an indicator to where Alex Ostrin, Yoav Zolty, Editors-in-Chief things are going." Fridays normally see protesters turn out in larger numbers. Akiva Sturm, Eli Jarashow, Ezra Seplowitz and Bentzion Rotblat, Editors We are proud to be distributed by these institutions, though they do not necessarily support or condone The reports of Egyptian pressure on Hamas, the armed Islamist faction that any of the material published: controls the Gaza Strip, followed a visit by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Anshei Chesed Cong., Boynton Beach, FL Hillel at Brandeis University Sunday to Egypt, which has sought to act as a broker between Hamas, Israel Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies Hillel at California State University - Long Beach Boca Raton Synagogue, FL Hillel at Columbia University and other Palestinian factions. Carmel School, Hong Kong Hillel at Johns Hopkins University Israeli Intelligence Minister Israel Katz said that an Egyptian intelligence Cong. Agudath Achim, Bradley Beach, NJ Hillel at Yale University Cong. Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, NJ Hillel High School, Deal NJ chief, whom he did not name, "made unequivocally clear" to Haniyeh that Cong. Ahavath Achim, Fairfield, CT Jewish Center of Teaneck, NJ Egypt would not help if Hamas continued to stoke the protests, and Israel Cong. Anshe Shalom, Jamaica Estates, NY Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi, Cedarhurst, NY Cong. Anshe Sholom, New Rochelle, NY Kemp Mill Synagogue, Silver Spring, MD responded with harsher measures. Cong. Beth Aaron, Teaneck, NJ Mizrachi Shul, Johannesburg, SA Hamas leader in Gaza Yehya Sinwar denied that Egypt put pressure on Cong. Beth Shalom, Monroe Twp, NJ North Shore Hebrew Academy HS, NY Cong. Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, NJ Suburban Torah Center, Livingston, NJ Hamas to end the protests and said that instead, Haniyeh discussed what Cong. Etz Ahaim, Highland Park, NJ The Learning Shul, Columbia, SC Cairo could do to ease hardship in Gaza. Cong. Ohr Torah, Edison, NJ Woodsburgh, NY Minyan "They were keen these marches do not slide into armed confrontations and Cong. Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, NJ Young Israel Bet Tefilah of Aberdeen, NJ Cong. Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, NJ Young Israel of Brookline, MA we agree with the brothers in Egypt over that,” Sinwar said in an interview on Cong. Sons of Israel, Allentown, PA Young Israel of East Brunswick, NJ Al Jazeera television. Cong. Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, NJ Young Israel of Fort Lee, NJ Cong. Zichron R. M. Feinstein, Brooklyn, NY Young Israel of Hancock Park, CA Delray Orthodox Synagogue, Delray Beach, FL Young Israel of Holliswood, NY TURKEY AND ISRAEL EXPEL ENVOYS OVER GAZA DEATHS (Ha’aretz, East Denver Orthodox Synagogue, CO Young Israel of Houston, TX Flatbush Park Jewish Center, Mill Basin, NY Young Israel of New Hyde Park, NY 5/16/18) Harvard University Library Young Israel of North Woodmere, NY Turkey and Israel expelled each other's envoys on Tuesday in an escalating Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, NY Young Israel of New Rochelle, NY Hillel at Baruch College Young Israel of Sharon, MA diplomatic dispute over the killing by Israeli forces of 60 Palestinians a day YI Shomrai Emunah, Silver Spring, MD during protests on the Gaza border. We encourage our readers to subscribe to our sources on the internet. For more information or to The Turkish Foreign Ministry ordered Israeli Ambassador Eitan Naeh to leave subscribe by e-mail, reach us at [email protected] 2 Monday’s protests. Australia, on the other hand, has blamed Hamas for located in the tech park across from the shopping mall in the Malha “confrontational” conduct. neighborhood. In an unusual move, the United Nations Security Council held a moment of Paraguay has also announced that it will soon be relocating its embassy to silence for “Palestinian and Israeli victims." the capital. SISI: US EMBASSY RELOCATION WILL CAUSE ‘INSTABILITY’ (Arutz-7 NEW WEAPON AGAINST RIOTERS: ‘THE CHOCO DRONE’ (Arutz-7 5/17/18) 5/16/18) Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said on Wednesday that the move of The Defense Ministry's directorate of research and development of weapons the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem will cause “instability” in the region. and technological infrastructure (Mafat) revealed Wednesday, in the context The comments, quoted by the Reuters news agency, were the Egyptian of disturbances on the Gaza border and in Judea and Samaria, a new President’s first on the issue of the embassy move. development that will help IDF soldiers disperse rioters with nonviolent “On the move of the U.S. Embassy, we have said this issue will have means. negative repercussions on Arab and Islamic public opinion and lead to a kind The “Choco Drone” project was developed by Mafat and in cooperation with of dissatisfaction and some instability, and will have repercussions on the the Israeli defense industry, especially for the events of the current week, Palestinian cause,” Sisi said in televised remarks at a youth conference. particularly “Nakba Day.” Egypt, which has a peace treaty with Israel and is an ally of the United This week, the drone began its operational activity in the Gaza Strip, with its States, has condemned the deaths of Gazans in the clashes on the border operation defined as successful. With the new development, IDF forces are with Israel, but avoided direct criticism of the United States following the not required to reach a point close to the border - all operations are carried opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Monday. out from the air according to the decision of the commanding officer in the “I urge the Israelis to understand that the reactions of Palestinians over this field.