With apologies to an old bread commercial, you don’t have to be Jewish to marvel at what is happening in Israel. And to be nervous.
The ancient land is bracing for both historic celebrations and escalating Arab violence. Throw in the possibility there will be more Iranian rocket attacks and the week ahead is shaping up as an extreme metaphor for the good, the bad and the ugly of Israel’s modern existence.
Monday brings the belated fulfillment of an old promise — that the United States would move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President Trump’s decision makes good on his campaign pledge, and shames prior presidents who made the same pledge but went wobbly when they got to the White House.
Trump’s recognition that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital confirmed a reality widely understood by both Arabs and Jews but that foreign governments denied out of fear that acknowledging the truth would spark Palestinian violence. As if the bomb makers and knife wielders needed an excuse.
Giving veto power to the heckler has never worked anywhere, and it certainly didn’t work in Jerusalem. Palestinians were offered their own state repeatedly in the last two decades, but neither Yasir Arafat nor Mahmoud Abbas could ever get to yes.
Instead, violence was always their default position, and as Friday’s latest installment of scheduled mayhem along the Gaza border illustrated, little has changed since 1948.
Which brings us to Tuesday, the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence. The odds against its reaching this milestone often seemed prohibitive, but Israel today is a powerhouse, economically, culturally and militarily.
It also enjoys increasing ties with some of its Arab neighbors — a sign not of love, but of common enemies. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and others share with the Jewish state deep apprehension about the rise of the Islamist ideology and the apocalyptic aims of Iran.
These new alliances notwithstanding, America remains Israel’s most reliable ally, and the Trump administration is proving to be the most pro-Israel ever, a fact that confounds and distresses many liberal American Jews.
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump will lead the American delegation to the embassy ceremony, and Jerusalem is awash with huge street banners thanking the president.
The pro-Trump enthusiasm includes a commemorative coin featuring his likeness next to that of an ancient Persian King, Cyrus the Great.
The Old Testament credits Cyrus with allowing captive Jews to return to Jerusalem from Babylon 2,500 years ago and rebuild Solomon’s temple. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is among those comparing Trump to Cyrus, a linkage evangelical Christians also embrace.
Alas, the current kings of Iran represent an existential threat to Israel. The president’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the feckless nuclear pact is very popular in Israel, but Iran’s mullahs used the decision as an excuse to launch rocket attacks from Syria.
The Israeli response was swift and deadly, which led to condemnations from the usual suspects that it was dangerously disproportionate. In fact, what is really dangerous is that Iran’s forces in Syria are aiming their weapons at Israel now that they have mostly subdued the opponents of Syrian butcher Bashar al Assad.
Similarly, Iran’s other terror ally, Hezbollah, has amassed a rocket arsenal in Lebanon targeting Israel.
These developments lead many analysts to conclude that the tit-for-tat shadow war between Israel and Iran could become a full-scale conflict. Those blaming Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal for changing the dynamics have cause and effect backwards.
The real cause is that Iran has grown increasingly belligerent, with its government threatening to destroy Israel. Those actions and the funding of terror groups in Yemen to attack are proof that the nuclear pact backfired.
Instead of leading Iran to become a peaceful global citizen, the deal enabled the mullahs to use their cash windfall to fund their missile program and proxy armies.
Trump’s plan to reimpose economic sanctions offers some hope that Iran will curb its military spending, but a major obstacle is that most European governments, which barely tolerate Israel, are more interested in appeasing the mullahs. They also don’t want to spoil the profitable party that Europe’s multinational companies are enjoying from trading with Iran.
If all that weren’t trouble enough for Israel, the Palestinians promise to protest both the embassy move and the anniversary celebrations. That means throwing grenades, burning tires and flying burning kites across the border. Leaders of Hamas, the terror group running Gaza, are urging tens of thousands to smash through the security fence along the border.
The escalation is likely to reach its climax Wednesday, when Palestinians hold their annual “Nakba Day” or catastrophe protests. They see the creation of Israel as the greatest disaster to befall them, and Arab leaders in both the West Bank and Gaza are encouraging massive turnout.
Israeli Defense Forces are adding reinforcements across the country in anticipation of what officials predict will be extensive and violent demonstrations.
If past is prologue, much blood will be shed needlessly, yet nothing will change. Israel is not going anywhere, and only when Iran and the Palestinians come to that conclusion will peace have a chance.
Won’t be ‘sidelined’
The quote of the week comes from Gina Haspel, Trump’s nominee to head the CIA. Unfairly battered over her tenuous connection to waterboarding terrorists more than a dozen years ago, she fired back at carping Democrats:
“After 9/11, I didn’t look to go sit on the Swiss desk — I stepped up,” she said. “I was not on the sidelines. I was on the front lines in the Cold War, and I was on the front lines in the fight against Al Qaeda.”
Bravo!
School ‘choice’
Reader Mark Connolly doesn’t like the quota system City Hall is using to diversify schools, but he has little patience for protesting parents on the Upper West Side. He writes:
“They voted for Mayor de Blasio. They would vote for him again because they vote for this garbage over and over.
“This is why my wife and I are sacrificing much to have our girls in Catholic school. We are devout Catholics, but they are not in Catholic school for the faith. They are there to avoid nonsense like this.”
‘Low’ down on NY pols
Chalk up another banner week for New York’s Sleaziest.
The jury verdict finding former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver guilty on all counts caps a week where Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned in disgrace after women told the New Yorker magazine that he slapped and punched them.
Other revealing moments came when there was squabbling over who would investigate Schneiderman and who would temporarily replace him. Howls of public protest were so loud that the pols backed off, or at least said they would.
Words to the wise: trust what they do, never what they say.
Israel's Netta has won the Eurovision song contest 2018.
It was a night filled with drama, including the tense moment a man invaded the stage during UK entry SuRie's performance and grabbed the mic to shout about "Nazis" and the "UK media".
After the night's jury votes, it seemed the competition was down to two of the night's charmers, Austria's Cesár Sampson and Sweden's Benjamin Ingrosso.
However, the public vote changed all that: the favour shifted first to Israel and Cyprus' Eleni Foureira, with Netta finally triumphing with her bright, bonkers pop anthem 'Toy'.
"Thank you for celebrating diversity. Thank you! I love my country! See you in Jerusalem!" she said in her acceptance speech, as a member of the crowd waved their stuffed Pikachu in triumph, referencing the song's lyrics.
You can check out all the action as it happened below:
Eurovision 2018 performances
38 show all Eurovision 2018 performances
1/38 Cyprus' singer Eleni Foureira performs the song "Fuego" AFP
2/38 Israel's singer Netta performs the song "Toy" Getty
3/38 Belgium's singer Sennek performs the song "A Matter Of Time" AFP
4/38 Estonia's singer Elina Nechayeva performs the song "La Forza" Getty
5/38 Croatia's singer Franka performs the song "Crazy" Getty
6/38 Albania's singer Eugent Bushpepa performs the song "Mall" AFP
7/38 Czech Republic's singer Mikolas Josef performs the song "Lie To Me" AFP
8/38 Ireland's singer Ryan O'Shaughnessy performs the song "Together" Getty
9/38 Swiss duo ZIBBZ's singer Corinne Gfeller performs the song "Stones" Getty
10/38 Bulgarian group Equinox' singer Zhana Bergendorff (R) performs the song "Bones" Getty
11/38 Lithuania's singer Ieva Zasimauskaite performs the song "When We're Old" Getty
12/38 Finland's singer Saara Aalto performs the song "Monsters" Getty
13/38 Greece's singer Yianna Terzi performs the song "Oniro Mou" Getty
14/38 Austria's singer Cesar Sampson performs the song "Nobody But You" AFP
15/38 Azerbaijan's singer Aisel performs the song "X My Heart" AFP
16/38 Iceland's singer Ari Olafsson performs the song "Our Choice" AFP
17/38 Armenia's singer Sevak Khanagyan performs the song "Qami" Getty
18/38 Macedonian duo Eye Cue's lead vocalist Marija Ivanovska (R) and guitarist Bojan Trajkovski perform the song "Lost And Found" Getty
19/38 Belarus' singer Alekseev performs the song "Forever" AFP
20/38 Norway's singer Alexander Rybak performs the song "That's How You Write A Song" AFP
21/38 Romanian band The Humans perform the song "Goodbye AFP
22/38 Serbia's band Sanja Ilic & Balkanika perform the song "Nova Deca" Getty
23/38 San Marino's Jessika featuring Jenifer Brening perform the song "Who We Are" Getty
24/38 Denmark's singer Rasmussen performs the song "Higher Ground" Getty
25/38 Poland's singer Gromee feat. Lukas Meijer performs the song "Light Me Up" Getty
26/38 Australia's singer Jessica Mauboy performs the song "We Got Love" Getty
27/38 The Netherlands' singer Waylon performs the song "Outlaw In 'Em" Getty
28/38 Ukraine's singer Melovin performs the song "Under The Ladder" Getty
29/38 Sweden's singer Benjamin Ingrosso performs the song "Dance You Off" Getty
30/38 Slovenia's singer Lea Sirk performs the song "Hvala, ne!" Getty
31/38 Latvia's singer Laura Rizzotto performs the song "Funny Girl" Getty
32/38 Hungary's band Aws perform the song "Viszlat Nyar" Getty
33/38 Malta's singer Christabelle performs the song "Taboo" AFP
34/38 The Netherlands' singer Waylon performs the song "Outlaw In 'Em" Getty
35/38 Georgia's group Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao performs the song "For You" Getty
36/38 Montenegro's singer Vanja Radovanovic performs the song "Inje" AFP
37/38 Russia's singer Julia Samoylova performs the song "I Won't Break" Getty
38/38 Moldova's group DoReDoS perform the song "My Lucky Day" AFP
Netta recently spoke to The Independent about her own body confidence: "[I was told] dress like you have nothing to celebrate Dress in black. Dress big. Short skirts are not for you. Short sleeves are not for you. You’re not sexy or beautiful. You’re funny - that’s what you are. And you are a good friend.
"Well I am here to break that because this is a great evil that is done in the word to so many people."
"People are locked in this state of mind and when I decided that this [gestures to herself] is who I am then that was that. I always wanted to explore pop culture in my music and I didn’t have a chance because being me and presenting that music… it’s not existing."
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Smoke rises over the Gaza Strip after Israeli airstrikes targeted a tunnel, Gaza Strip, May 12, 2018.
The Israeli military said the air force struck an attack tunnel in Gaza Saturday evening. Explosions were heard in the Strip's north.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the tunnel was located a few meters from Israeli territory and, upon completion, would have led to the Israeli community of Kibbutz Erez.
Major Avichay Adraee, head of Arabic communications for the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, posted a video of the attack on his Twitter account.
The inside of the tunnel that was the target of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on May 12, 2018. IDF Spokesman
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#عاجل قام #جيش_الدفاع مساء اليوم بإحباط #نفق إرهابي هجومي أخر تابع لمنظمة #حماس الإرهابية في منطقة معبر #إيرز. لقد تم احباط مسار النفق من خلال غارة جوية لمقاتلات حربية. pic.twitter.com/yzZJoT7Z1k — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) May 12, 2018
>> Embassies, Nakba, Ramadan: All you need to know about Israel’s roller-coaster week >>
Palestinian reports said Israel fired seven missiles toward an agricultural area east of the city of Beit Hanoun. No casualties have been reported.
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The IDF sees a direct connection between this tunnel and the tunnel the army destroyed in January, which reached the Kerem Shalom crossing.
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“Hamas’ actions so close to the Kerem Shalom crossing and the Erez checkpoint and the fires set over the past two weeks at the crossing are Hamas’ cynicism toward the civilians in Gaza,” said the IDF Spokesman, Brig. Gen. Ronen Maneles.
skip - Lieberman tweet on attack in Gaza
חמאס מפזרת ססמאות על רצונה ב'הודנה' ארוכת טווח אבל בפועל ממשיכה לחפור מנהרות טרור לשטח מדינת ישראל. אנחנו לא קונים את הבלוף הזה. נמשיך, כמו הערב, לפגוע בתשתיות הטרור. הנוסחה היחידה שבאה בחשבון היא פירוז תמורת שיקום. — אביגדור ליברמן (@AvigdorLiberman) May 12, 2018 Lieberman tweet on attack in Gaza
On the expected protests this week in the area, Maneles added that Israel is “determined to stop mass breaching of the fence, and certainly to prevent a terror attackHamas intends to take advantage of these protests to launch terror events.”
Meanwhile, Hamas said that Israel’s attack Saturday night in the northern Gaza Strip was intended to deter and intimidate civilians ahead of the marches on Monday and Tuesday and the response will be that Palestinians will come out en masse to demand their rights.
In response to the attack, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Hamas is "spreading slogans about its desire for a long-term hudna," using the Arabic word for truce.
"In practice, it continues to dig terror tunnels into the territory of the State of Israel. We do not buy this bluff," he wrote on his Twitter account. "We will continue, in the evening, to strike at terrorist infrastructures. The only formula in question is demilitarization in exchange for rehabilitation," he added.
Shortly after the strike, Gaza's Health Ministry reported that a 15-year-old Palestinian died of wounds he sustained during Friday's protests along the border. The ministry identified him as Jamal Abu Arahman Afaneh. The development brings the death toll of Friday's protest up to two.
Earlier Saturday evening, Lieberman announced that Israel is closing the Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip due to arson caused by Palestinian protesters along the border.
According to the Israeli army, the crossing will be closed except for humanitarian cases that will be approved on an individual basis. The crossing, the only one through which cargo passes from Israel to Gaza, will stay closed until the damage caused by the arson is repaired.
Palestinians protesting along the border Friday set fire to a pipeline through which Israel supplies gas and fuel to Gaza and a conveyor belt near the crossing, causing millions of shekels in damages.
This is the second consecutive week that demonstrators have set fire to the Palestinian side of the crossing.
