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Media Summary

UK criticises Abbas over Holocaust remarks

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The Telegraph reports that the UK Government has rebuked Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas over a speech he gave to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) parliament in Ramallah on Monday, which has been widely criticised for its antisemitic content. Abbas’s speech, which said that the Jewish “social function” in 20th century Europe, such as money lending, caused animosity towards them which led to the Nazi genocide of six million Jews, was described as “deeply concerning” and “deeply unhelpful to the cause of peace” in a Foreign and Commonwealth Office statement yesterday.

The Jewish Chronicle quotes BICOM CEO James Sorene in an article evaluating “how Israel stole Iran’s nuclear secrets”. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that an operation by Mossad recovered a large cache of files from a warehouse storing information about the Iranian nuclear programme, which he claimed proves that Iran is not in compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Sorene said: “To remove so much physical material in such circumstances is nothing short of remarkable. When you consider it alongside Israel’s apparent ability to identify Iranian arms shipments to Syria as they leave Tehran, you can only conclude that the Iranian regime is severely compromised by the brilliance of Israeli intelligence.”

The Independent, BBC News Online, Daily Mail ,Telegraph, Guardian and Sky News Online report on the 2018 Giro d’Italia, which starts in Jerusalem today, the first time one of cycling’s Grand Tours has included a stage outside Europe. The Independent reports that the organisers of the event and Israeli government hope that criticism of Israel and political controversy will not overshadow the sport itself.

The Times reports that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has urged US President Donald Trump not to renounce the Iran nuclear deal next week. Trump is due to decide on 12 May whether or not to waive US sanctions against Iran, having told the European signatories of the deal in January that they would need to find a solution to what he termed the “disastrous flaws” of the deal before this date if the US were to remain in the deal. Reuters reports on the UK, France and Germany’s efforts to save the nuclear deal by finding solutions to its current issues and persuade Trump not to withdraw from the agreement.

BBC News Online published an analysis of whether Iran’s economy has been better off since the signing of the JCPOA in 2015. Andry Critchlow wrote an opinion piece in the Telegraph evaluating the possible impact on the Iranian and global economy of renewed US sanctions on Iran, in which Critchlow says that “even if Trump attempts to toughen up on Iran with sanctions, their impact on its oil industry could be ineffective”. The Independent reports on the possible consequences if the US were to withdraw from the JCPOA.

BBC News Online and the Daily Mail report that Israeli Arab poet Dareen Tatour has been convicted of inciting violence and supporting a terrorist organisation over comments she made on social media. Tatour posted several videos on social media, which included video footage of Palestinians throwing stones at Israeli security forces overlaid with a reading of her poem, which included the line “resist, my people, resist them, resist the settler’s robbery and follow the caravan of martyrs”.

Ma’ariv and the Jerusalem Post report on alleged details of the Trump Peace Plan which include a proposal for Israel to cede four neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority. US officials reportedly told Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman that, as part of US peace plan, Israel will need to transfer control over Jabel Mukabar, Isawiya, Shuafat and Abu Dis. US officials categorically denied the report adding that President Donald Trump’s plan has not yet been completed but has entered its final stages of development. Lieberman’s office said: “We do not comment on the content of his meetings.”

Maariv reports that the IDF is bracing for another weekend of disturbances at the border fence in Gaza with the assessment that a mass infiltration attempt by hundreds of Palestinians could reoccur.

Haaretz reports that the IDF believes it is possible to continue with its tough line against Iran without it leading to war.

Yediot Ahronoth reports on a visit to Israel by Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, who received an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University. Ma also revealed that his company is considering opening offices in Israel.

Israel Hayom comments on a so-called “legalisation report” which it says can avert the demolition of thousands of homes in the West Bank. An inter-ministerial team of jurists for legalisation of construction in Judea and Samaria has recommended a series of legal plans for regulating the legal status of thousands of houses in dozens of neighbourhoods and settlement outposts that are currently threatened with eviction or demolition.

Israel Hayom and Times of Israel report on satellite imagery of suspicious activity in Fordo, Iran.

Kan Radio News and Yediot Ahronoth report that Netanyahu has asked Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of the Jewish Home to postpone the debate and vote on the override clause bill that would make it possible to curtail the power of the Supreme Court. Netanyahu said that he would like to have another meeting with Supreme Court President Esther Hayut and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, who have objected to the expanded override clause. The Jewish Home denied the Prime Minister’s request and  Bennett said that the bill would be put to a vote on Sunday as planned. Bennett said further that it was time to decide and that he expected to have the prime minister’s support.

Kan Radio News reports that Mahmoud Abbas was reelected chairman of the PLO Executive Committee after four days of meetings in the course of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) in Ramallah convention.