Weekly roundup of world briefs

Jerusalem police nab Palestinians for US embassy break-ins

(JNS) — Police recently arrested two Palestinians from the Hebron area for breaking into a U.S. embassy warehouse in Jerusalem and stealing property last month, the Israel Police said.

The suspects, both men in their 20s from the town of Tarqumiyah, worked at a construction site near the embassy in the capital’s upscale Arnona neighborhood.

According to the police, the pair took advantage of their work permit in Israel to steal “maintenance property” during a “series of break-ins.”

The burglars were eventually apprehended and taken in for questioning, a spokesperson said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

Their initial pre-trial detention was set to expire on Thursday.

Israel completes purchase of DC home for its ambassador

(JNS) — Israel has completed the purchase of an official residence for its ambassador in Washington.

Michael Herzog will be moving into an 11-bedroom, 12-bathroom home with a listing price of $10 million, Jewish Insider reported on Thursday. It is located in the upscale neighborhood of Forest Hills in the northwest quadrant of the U.S. capital.

Herzog, 71, the older brother of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, has been living in hotels and rental properties since taking up the post in November 2021. He will likely move in within the next month, an embassy source told Jewish Insider.

“After almost 10 years of temporary housing, the State of Israel has decided to purchase an official residence to provide a long-term solution for its ambassador,” the source said.

Israel has rented properties for its D.C. ambassadors since 2013, when the previous official residence on Chesapeake Street NW was abandoned due to unlivable conditions. The residence that was used by every Israeli ambassador since the 1960s was condemned and eventually torn down.

According to the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington, the Forest Hills neighborhood became predominately Jewish in the 1940s and 1950s due to an absence of restricted housing covenants.

Israel warns citizens of possible abductions during the holiday season

(JNS) — Israel’s National Security Council on Thursday cautioned citizens to remain vigilant while traveling over the upcoming Jewish holiday period, citing the risk of attempts by Iranian-backed terrorists to carry out kidnappings in Israel and abroad.

The updated travel warning cites a higher risk of Iranian terrorism in both neighboring and faraway countries including Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as in countries in Africa and Latin America.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad may seek to kidnap Israelis to use as a bargaining chip in indirect negotiations with the Jewish state, adds the National Security Council.

The press release also cites increased Islamic terrorist threats in both Sweden and Denmark in the wake of recent Koran burnings there that outraged the Muslim world.

“We call on the Israeli public to continue to travel abroad, but to be vigilant, behave responsibly in accordance with the risk level of the country they are visiting, and to adhere to the recommendations,” the National Security Council said.

Earlier in August, NSC Intelligence Division head Yossi Adler told JNS that “the last two years have been exceptional, from a historical perspective, in terms of terror activity against Israelis and Jews abroad.

“My message is, think about what you are saying on the social networks, don’t give your geographic route, which hotel room you’re in, because the [terror] squads are looking for prey,” he warned.

The National Security Council provides 24/7 service on its website and a call center for issues related to travel warnings.

New report: Antisemitic crimes rose 28% in 21 US cities in 2022

(JNS) — Research from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) reveals an increase in the number of hate crimes against Jews (up 28 percent) and other minority groups in America’s most populous urban centers.

The 10 largest cities in the country saw an average increase of 22 percent in biased-based illegal incidents, hitting a new record of 1,889. The highest number of these crimes happened in Los Angeles—195 against black people, 98 against gay men, 91 against Jews and 88 against Latinos.

The largest percentage increase happened in Chicago, with an overall rise of 84 percent in hate crimes. For Jews, the increase was exponentially higher (500 percent), going from six crimes in 2021 to 36 in 2022. Seattle also saw a jump from one incident in 2021 to seven in 2022.

Of victims targeted on the basis of religion, Jews accounted for the lion’s share with 78 percent of religious-centered incidents—a total of 470 hate crimes in 2022. The report identified four religion-motivated murders last year, three against Shia Muslims by a Sunni terrorist and one killing of a Catholic who the perpetrator believed was Jewish.

Of the 470 hate crimes against Jews, most of them (261) took place in New York City, which saw a 33 percent increase from 2021’s 196.

The report identifies a key factor impacting antisemitic crimes: the intensity of conflicts in the Middle East. During the Gaza War in May 2021, for example, antisemitic crimes in cities went up 59 percent.

While most cities saw increases in hate crimes, notable exceptions with declines include San Diego; San Antonio; and Phoenix, Ariz.

Thomas-Greenfield, Lipstadt meet with Jewish leaders in New York City

(JNS) — Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, met with a number of Jewish leaders at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City on Aug. 28.

Thomas-Greenfield previewed U.S. priorities for the upcoming U.N. General Assembly session, and both diplomats addressed U.S. “efforts to counter antisemitism and anti-Israel bias at the U.N.,” per a readout from Nate Evans, spokesman for the U.S. mission to the United Nations.

Lipstadt praised António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, “for taking the important step of drafting a UN Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism,” according to the readout. Thomas-Greenfield “also reinforced the Biden administration’s unshakeable support for Israel and a negotiated two-state solution.”

Several people posted on social media that they were part of the event, including American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch, Chabad-Lubavitch spokesman Yaacov Behrman and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul staffer Eva Wyner.

Thomas-Greenfield also met on Monday with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as did Guterres. In a readout of Thomas-Greenfield’s meeting with Gallant, Evans stated that the diplomats “discussed the need to de-escalate tensions and improve the security situation in the West Bank.”

Iran warns of retaliation for alleged Israeli Syria strike

(JNS) — Iran on Wednesday threatened revenge for an alleged Israeli attack on Syrian territory earlier in the week that put Aleppo’s main airport out of service, the Associated Press reported.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, “The criminal practices by the Zionist entity in the region will not remain without retaliation.” 

The strike on Aleppo International Airport on Monday was attributed to Israel by Syrian state media.

Ynet cited a Saudi network as reporting hours after the attack that Israel had destroyed an “Iranian military shipment containing sensitive equipment.”

Israel has allegedly struck hundreds of targets in Syria in recent years as part of an effort to prevent Iranian military entrenchment in the country. However, it rarely acknowledges these incidents.

PA issues list of demands for Saudi-Israel deal

(JNS) — The Palestinian Authority wants more control over areas of Judea and Samaria, the reopening of the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem and the resumption of Saudi financial support in return for supporting a Saudi-Israel normalization deal. 

Riyadh has already proposed resuming financial assistance to the P.A., according to Saudi officials and former Palestinian officials. Earlier this month, Riyadh appointed its first-ever non-resident envoy to the P.A., who will double as consul general to Jerusalem.

The list of demands suggests Palestinian leaders are taking a more practical approach to Saudi-Israel normalization than it did in 2020 to the Abraham Accords. It described that deal between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain as “a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people.”

This time, the P.A. appears ready to accept a pact in return for concrete gains. It seeks to expand its footprint in Judea and Samaria by demanding more control in Areas B and C. Judea and Samaria is divided into three administrative zones under the Oslo Accords. Only Area A is under full P.A. civil and security control. 

Its request for a reopening of the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem will strengthen its claim to part of Israel’s capital. The U.S. consulate had acted as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians before the Trump administration shuttered it in March 2019.

A resumption of Saudi funding will help shore up the P.A. economy, which is in shambles. Saudi Arabia had contributed billions to Palestinian causes until cutting off funding in 2016 over P.A. corruption. Aid dropped from $174 million a year in 2019 to zero in 2021.

Even though Saudi Arabia occupies a leading position among Muslims due to its control over Islam’s holiest sites, it must tread carefully to avoid antagonizing Muslims for whom the Palestinian cause is a central issue.

Meanwhile, Israel has concerns about Saudi Arabia’s own demands regarding a normalization agreement. Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met on Wednesday with Brett McGurk, U.S. National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, to request clarification regarding the kingdom’s demand for U.S. assistance in building out its civilian nuclear program. 

Specifically, Israel has questions about the fuel cycle, which could potentially allow the Saudis to enrich uranium independently, Hebrew media reported.