‘Malignant, dangerous, violent’: Trump rally’s ‘send her back’ chant raises new concerns of intolerance, Washington Post
As thousands chanted ‘Send her back!’ at a campaign rally in Greenville, N.C., Wednesday night, the president paused to let it amplify. He listened for 13 seconds, as the stray shouts stretched into a uniform roar. Some raised campaign signs or fists to the rhythm of the crowd as they yelled. Some only murmured along. A few were children, following the lead of the adults sitting in front-row seats behind President Trump. ‘Send her back! Send her back!’ they yelled in unison, advocating for deporting Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), an American citizen and refugee, to Somalia, where she was born.
UK PM May says compromise deal remains best way to prevent Iran getting nuclear weapon, Reuters
In her last major speech before stepping down next week, May said the nuclear deal must be protected “whatever its challenges” — “Whether we like it or not a compromise deal remains the best way to get the outcome we all still ultimately seek – to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and to preserve the stability of the region,” May said.
Who Trump Is Really Wooing With His Tweets About Israel and anti-Semitism, Haaretz
Amir Tibon writes, “U.S. President Donald Trump is increasingly turning Israel into part of his 2020 reelection campaign, citing the Jewish state several times in his attacks this week on four Democratic legislators who are women of color. Leading Jewish-American groups tried to distance themselves from the attacks, accusing Trump of using Israel for political purposes. Israeli officials, meanwhile, tried to ignore the controversy and to stay out of the heated U.S. debate.”
Daily Kickoff: Democrats remove ‘occupation’ from two-state solution resolution , Times of Israel
Rep. Alan Lowenthal’s (D-CA) resolution supporting the two-state solution will be replaced with new text introduced by Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), removing references to Israel’s “occupation” and “settlement activity.” The new text also acknowledges that unilateral moves, including by Palestinians, make it difficult to achieve a two-state solution.
Netanyahu to Decide Whether Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib Can Enter Israel, West Bank for Tour, Haaretz
Democratic U.S. Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are planning a visit to Israel and the West Bank in the coming weeks, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to decide whether they would be let in to the country, over the support they have voiced for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.
Barak vows to sue Daily Mail for ‘sordid insinuations’ over his ties to Epstein, Times of Israel
Former prime minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday said he would sue the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper for defamation after it published pictures of him entering Jeffrey Epstein’s New York residence in January 2016, around the same time several young women tied to the financier also came by.
Bennett Says Wouldn’t Necessarily Recommend Netanyahu as Next Prime Minister, Haaretz
In an interview with Army Radio, Bennett said Wednesday “I’ll recommend the right-wing candidate with the greatest chances of forming a government. I won’t let us hold repeat election again.”
Army says Gaza-West Bank terror funding network exposed, Times of Israel
The IDF said Wednesday it arrested Hamas members linked to a money transfer network that funneled cash from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank for terror purposes. The network was operated by a passport-issuing agency named “Al-Haramain” in the Gaza Strip, the army said.
Anti-Semitic fliers in Massachusetts declare Holocaust ‘fake news’, JTA
Two anti-Semitic fliers that deny the Holocaust were posted at a Massachusetts synagogue, with reports of similar incidents at synagogues in two other states. Police are investigating what the Anti-Defamation League described as a coordinated campaign by a national online white supremacist group.
Israel bakes as temperature climbs to near-record 49.9°C, Times of Israel
The highest temperature in the country was recorded on the southern shores of the Dead Sea, near the site of Biblical Sodom, where the mercury hit 49.9° Celsius (122° Fahrenheit), a record for the spot.
Israeli settlements are a regular destination on Birthright trips, +972 Mag
Mairav Zonszein writes, “For years, Birthright has been taking participants into the occupied territories, usually without their knowledge or consent. ‘At the end of the day, we Israelis always have been less than truthful about where those lines and boundaries are for tourists,’ one former tour operator says.”
Trump’s ‘Go Home’ Invective Echoes Nazi Incitement Against Jews, Haaretz
Chemi Shalev writes, “Donald Trump, of course, is no Nazi, but he often seems to be drawing from the same playbook. Perhaps his inspiration comes from Adolf Hitler’s collection of speeches in his book “New Order,” which Trump kept next to his bed, according to his former wife Ivana. In principle, and notwithstanding the conventional taboo on “comparing,” It’s hard to tell the difference between the large signs hung outside German cities declaring “Jews, immigrate to your land, in our land we already know who you are” and Trump’s suggestion to four non-white Democratic Congresswomen to “go back” to what he previously described as their “shithole” countries. Both imbibe from the same toxic cesspool of spreading division and hate, while defining the different as an alien and dangerous “other” in order to advance political and ideological aims.”
‘The Squad’ hates Trump’s policies. That doesn’t mean they hate America., Washington Post
The Editorial Board writes, “The Republican attempt to yoke the whole Democratic Party to these outspoken left-wingers is dishonest but not all that far outside the normal rough and tumble of politics. What is new and frightening is the Republicans’ cynical, almost casual willingness to engage in the basest of slanders about them. Their campaign teaches us nothing about the four women but a great deal about their attackers.”
EU, Iran try to stand ground against Trump’s sanctions, Al-Monitor
Hamed A. Kermani writes, “It seems neither Iran nor the EU wants to overreact and both sides are trying to revive the deal rather than abandoning it — even though neither currently seems to benefit from it considerably. So why are they making the effort?”
Can Israel’s courts deliver justice for Palestinians?, Al Jazeera
Ben White writes, “The demolition of Palestinian-owned buildings by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem is a routine occurrence. But in Sur Baher, a neighbourhood southeast of Jerusalem, an unprecedented mass demolition is looming – with the approval of Israel’s top court.”
Two Way Street: Remembering the 17th of Tammuz, J Street
Shani Abramowitz writes, “In our current moment, both historical and political, it feels as if the proverbial walls of Jerusalem have been breached, and that we are running at breakneck speed toward our own demise. It feels as though we have lost touch, that we are quickly losing our grip over rhetoric and policy and that our leaders in the United States, Israel and around the globe have continuously failed to make choices that lift up democracy, denounce racism, sexism and xenophobia and attempt to halt what feels like the inevitable and unbearable slide toward tribalism and jingoism. “