Middle East Roundup: May 6, 2016

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Netanyahu convenes cabinet as violence escalates on Gaza border

(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Less than 24 hours after the IDF announced Thursday that Israeli forces had discovered a second cross-border Hamas terror tunnel, mortar shells were fired at IDF troops operating along the Gaza border Friday morning.

No one was hurt and no damage was reported in the incident. The Israeli Air Force retaliated by striking Hamas observation outposts inside Gaza.

Over the last two days, IDF troops sustained 12 separate mortar shell attacks in the area, which had been relatively calm since the end of the 2014 Operation Protective Edge. The 12 attacks, involving 16 shells, constituted double the total number of mortars that had been fired into Israel since the beginning of the year.

The escalation in violence over recent days prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce Thursday he would convene an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the recent security challenges. The cabinet ministers were to meet with top defense officials on Friday to devise Israel’s continued policy in the face of the events and IDF operations in the Strip.
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Study shows increase in number of Americans sympathizing with Palestinians

(JNS.org) A poll by the Pew Research Center released on Thursday showed an increase in the number of Americans who sympathize more with the Palestinians than with Israel since July 2014, an up from 14 percent to 19 percent.

Most of those who increasingly sympathize with the Palestinians are liberal Democrats (40 percent), the largest number in 15 years. Millennials also showed a high increase in support of the Palestinians with a growth from 9 percent in 2006 to 27 percent today. Meanwhile, 79 percent of Republicans sympathize more with Israel, as do a smaller majority of moderate and liberal Republicans at 65 percent.

The biggest difference in the category of presidential candidate preferences was among supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont), who are notably divided. Thirty-three percent sympathize more with Israel and 39 percent sympathize more with the Palestinians. Forty-seven percent of Hillary Clinton supporters are more likely to support Israel.
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IDF general’s ‘Nazi Germany’ comparison draws ire in Israeli government

(JNS.org) On Yom HaShoah in Israel on Thursday the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Yair Golan drew criticism from government leaders, who demanded that he clarify remarks he gave in a speech at a Holocaust remembrance ceremony a day earlier comparing modern-day Israeli society to Nazi Germany.

“If there’s something that frightens me about Holocaust remembrance it’s the recognition of the revolting processes that occurred in Europe in general, and particularly in Germany, back then – 70, 80 and 90 years ago – and finding signs of them here among us today in 2016,” Golan said in the Wednesday speech. “There is nothing easier than hating the other. There is nothing easier than raising fears and sowing terror. There is nothing easier than becoming callous, morally corrupt and hypocritical,” he said.

Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked told Israel’s Channel 10 that he was “confused” and that his remarks “attest mainly to a lack of understanding, ignorance, and a cheapening of the Holocaust.” Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who was in the audience during Golan’s speech, called on Golan to clarify his words before “God forbid, our troops are likened to Nazis, with a kosher stamp from on high.”

Golan then released a statement on Thursday saying it is an “absurd and baseless comparison and I had no intention whatsoever to draw any sort of parallel or to criticize the national leadership. The IDF is a moral army that respects the rules of engagement and protects human dignity.”

“That is fitting. He made a mistake, he corrected it,” Bennett later wrote on his Twitter feed. “This is not the time for in-fighting. Let’s respect this day and be together.”

Turkish prime minister’s resignation casts shadow on Israel reconciliation

(JNS.org) Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Thursday announced that he will resign from his post, opening up the possibility for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to solidify and consolidate his power, and placing a question mark on a possible reconciliation between Turkey and Israel.

“We thought that we would have a four-year relationship,” Davutoglu said. “That this lasted shorter is, rest assured, not of my choosing, but because of necessities that have emerged.”

The upheaval in Turkey’s government seems to be the result of a failure of the two highest ranking leaders to resolve ongoing disputes, which has culminated in intense “crisis talks” on Wednesday. Haaretz reported that Davutoglu has not strongly supported the presidential system that Erdogan wants in order to strengthen his power in lieu of the current parliamentary system. Erdogan has also opposed resuming reconciliation talks with Kurdish rebels in Turkey, while the prime minister was open to the idea if the rebels were willing to withdraw fighters from Turkey.

Davutoglu, who was known as Erdogan’s more moderate counterpart, recently also announced that the reconciliation process with Israel had advanced greatly, saying an agreement would be reached if Israel agreed to resolve the electricity and water crises in Gaza. With his exit the future of the reconciliation is not clear. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) will hold an emergency convention later this month to choose a new party leader who will replace the prime minister, likely someone loyal to Erdogan who wants to centralize government control.
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