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Media Summary

Israeli President Rivlin says ‘we have no iron dome for terrorism’

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Reuters reports that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) killed three Palestinians and wounded 248 others taking part in protests at the Gaza border. The Israeli military said it used force necessary to repel 13,000 Palestinians who massed at several points at the fence. Some hurled rocks, firebombs and grenades at troops under cover of smoke from burning tyres, injuring a soldier, and nine Palestinians briefly crossed into Israel, the military said. The military said that, twice last week, its patrols discovered and dismantled bombs that had been planted for use against them at the fence.

The Daily Mail reports that Israel is to deport a French-US professor. US-born Frank Romano, who teaches law at the Paris Nanterre University, was detained on Friday while taking part in a demonstration against the demolition of the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar, east of Jerusalem. A spokeswoman for the Israeli Interior Ministry could not immediately confirm such a decision.

The FT and the Guardian report that Israel launched missiles at the Damascus International Airport. The FT reports that according to Syrian State news agency SANA, Syrian air defences shot down the missiles. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported multiple explosions in the vicinity of the airport Saturday night, and said the missile strike caused significant damage to “warehouses and a weapons shipment”. The Guardian reports that the Israeli military declined to comment on the incident. Israel has vowed to prevent Iran, which is a main backer of Syria’s government, from gaining a foothold in neighbouring war-torn Syria. Earlier this month, Israel acknowledged having carried out more than 200 strikes in Syria over the past 18 months, mainly against Iranian targets.

Reuters reports that a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli to death at a shopping mall in the West Bank. American-born Jewish settler Ari Fuld, 45, was stabbed in the West Bank on Sunday. Israeli police said the Palestinian who stabbed him in the back at a shopping mall in the Etzion bloc, south of Jerusalem, was shot and wounded by one of several armed civilians. The suspected assailant was identified by his family as Khalil Youssef Jabarin, 17, from the village of Yatta in the southern West Bank. He was taken into custody.

The Times reports that the US has suffered a blow to its ambitions to influence post-war Iraq. Haider al-Abadi, the US-backed incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister, has been outmanoeuvred by an Iranian backed coalition. Moqtada al-Sadr, the nationalist cleric and militia leader emerged as a prime leader after the elections in May. Moreover, the favoured candidate for the position of parliamentary speaker was defeated by Mohammed al-Halbusi, a former governor of Anbar province, who is also backed by Iran.

The Daily Mail reports that the US has cut additional aid to the Palestinians for programmes supporting conflict resolution with Israelis. The latest cuts come from $10m in programmes on reconciliation involving Palestinians as well as Jewish and Arab Israelis, adding to more than $500m in other cuts. US President Donald Trump has said he will withhold aid from the Palestinians to force them to negotiate as the White House prepares a plan for Middle East talks — what he has called the “ultimate deal”.

All the Israeli media report the fatal terror attack in Gush Etzion yesterday and the funeral of Ari Fuld that was held late last night and attended by thousands of people. Yediot Ahronot recounts that the 45-year-old victim Ari Fuld, was standing at the entrance of the shopping centre when the assailant, a 16-year-old Palestinian from the village of Yatta waited for him in the parking lot, approached him from behind and stabbed him in the back. “Fuld recovered immediately and pursued the terrorist, and although he was already bleeding and stumbling, he did not give up for a moment. He charged, drew his pistol and fired several rounds at him. Two passers-by, who rushed to aid Fuld, managed to neutralise the terrorist and shot him. First responders immediately took Fuld to a hospital and tried to resuscitate him for 50 minutes, but Fuld, who had sustained a serious stab wound to the lung, died shortly thereafter.” A dual Israeli –American citizen, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman called him “a passionate defender of Israel and an American patriot,” saying he represented “the best of both countries”.  Maariv notes President Reuven Rivlin, who said: “We have no Iron Dome for terrorism.” “Countering terrorism is difficult and takes time, but Israel will not be deterred. Terrorism will not have a revival. Ari demonstrated great heroism and fought to the very end. May his memory be blessed.”  The paper also quotes a statement from the left-wing organisation Peace Now who also condemned the murder: “We send our condolences to the family of the victim killed in this morning’s terror attack in Gush Etzion, Israeli society is bleeding and torn by the terrible price that it has had to pay for [the government] refraining from engaging in a peace process. Violence will never be a means to end the conflict.”

Maariv makes the calculation that the terrorist will receive more than NIS 6m (£1.3m) from the Palestinian Authority up until he is 75. The paper quotes Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Kuperwasser, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA), who was previously the director general of the Strategic Affairs Ministry and director of the IDF Intelligence Branch’s Research Division, saying: “By law, the PA has a scale of salaries that it gives to Palestinian prisoners who committed terror attacks. Since the teenager was apprehended, he will go to prison and will receive that salary. Because he’s young, he is supposed to receive millions. These payments, which are about seven percent of the PA’s budget and over 20% of the foreign aid that it is granted, serve to encourage terrorism and they appear openly in its budget.”

Haaretz and Yediot Ahronot report on the controversial idea that the IDF is to form a parole committee to review requests to commute the life sentences for terrorists. Defence Minister Avigdor Avigdor Lieberman announced that he had ordered the plan to be delayed until he holds an in-depth meeting on the matter with the IDF, the judge advocate general, and the legal advisor to the security establishment. “We will not allow despicable terrorists to dream of parole,” he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the story at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting and said: “I vigorously oppose reducing the sentences of terrorists. I know that the defence minister thinks the same and therefore it will not happen.”

Maariv and Haaretz reports that a senior Israeli minister is mentioned in the indictment of US President Donald Trump’s campaign manager Paul Manafort. Defence Minister Lieberman has asked the US to reveal the identity of the individual. According to Channel 2 news, Lieberman denied having anything to do with Manafort inquiry.

Maariv prominently reports comments by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak who said last night that Prime Minister Netanyahu was Ceaușescu and that the people who had put him in power would also remove him from power. Barak said at an event in Tel Aviv that Netanyahu had betrayed the people he should be serving and was leading the country to its destruction and downfall by means of an extreme, messianic, and racist minority. The Likud issued a response saying that Barak was becoming weirder and more delusional by the day and that his statements against the Prime Minister were incitement to murder.

Maariv and Yediot Ahronot report an incident yesterday when a bus carrying soldiers accidently entered Qalandia refugee camp, using the Waze navigation app. Two IDF soldiers and a female officer from the mixed Karakal combat Battalion were lightly wounded when Palestinians threw rocks at the vehicle. The officer sustained injuries to her face and limbs caused by broken glass shards and was evacuated to hospital. Border Police, assisted by Palestinian policemen, extricated the bus as the IDF activated their rescue protocol.

Haaretz and Israel Hayom report that Prime Minister Netanyahu is considering reducing the electoral threshold for political parties to enter the Knesset by half a percent. The move is understood to try and assist the Likud’s natural allies on the Right to make it over the threshold and allow Netanyahu to form the same coalition government after next year’s election. Netanyahu told his coalition partners that the move must be carried out with the consent of all the coalition parties. “Without a consensus, we will not be able to move forward on this issue.”