ISRAEL: Government Mocks Foreign Media With Cartoon About Gaza Terrorism

Via the New York Times:

As part of Israel’s intensifying effort to undermine potential criticism from the United Nations of its military assault on Gaza last summer, the country’s Foreign Ministry released an animated YouTube video on Monday mocking coverage of the conflict by Western reporters as absurdly inaccurate. The 50-second cartoon broadside, produced by the ministry and featured on its website, portrays a blond, American-accented foreign correspondent as such a dunce that he reports breezily from Gaza that “there are no terrorists here, just ordinary people,” as a masked militant launches a rocket from a residential neighborhood right behind him. In a second scene, the reporter is pictured in what he calls “Gaza’s underground city, a fascinating attempt by Hamas to build a subway system,” as a series of heavily armed militants march in the direction of Israel past a sign reading, “Minimum: 8 Terrorists Per Tunnel.” The animation then shows a militant arresting a man standing under a rainbow-colored flag as the clueless correspondent tells his viewers that “there is no doubt that the Palestinian society here is liberal and pluralistic, and that Hamas allows everyone to live in dignity.”

The scene with the murder of a gay man occurs at :28.

Tweet Of The Day - Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly just now, during which he slammed its Human Rights Council for denouncing the bombing of Gaza.

Israel & Hamas Agree To Cease-Fire

Brokered by the UN and Secretary Of State John Kerry:

In a statement released in New Delhi where Secretary of State John Kerry is traveling, the U.S. and U.N. said they had gotten assurances that all parties to the conflict in Gaza had agreed to an unconditional cease-fire during which there would be negotiations on a more durable truce in the three-week-old fighting. "This humanitarian cease-fire will commence at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, Aug. 1, 2014. It will last for a period of 72 hours unless extended. During this time the forces on the ground will remain in place," the statement said. "We urge all parties to act with restraint until this humanitarian cease-fire begins, and to fully abide by their commitments during the cease-fire." The statement said the cease-fire was critical to give civilians a much-needed reprieve from violence. During this period, civilians in Gaza will receive humanitarian relief and have time to bury the dead, take care of the injured and restock food supplies. The time also will be used to repair water and energy infrastructure.

FAA Bans US Flights To & From Tel Aviv

Via the Washington Post:

The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday afternoon ordered U.S. carriers to stop flying to or from Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, prohibiting them from traveling through Israel’s largest airport after a rocket landed nearby. Airlines were banned from flying to Tel Aviv for a 24-hour period beginning on Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. The FAA said it will issue additional guidance by the end of that period.  This prohibition came after a rocket landed about a mile away from the airport, the FAA said. “The FAA immediately notified U.S. carriers when the agency learned of the rocket strike and informed them that the agency was finalizing [the notice],” the agency said in a statement. “The FAA will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation.” Even before the FAA’s notice was sent out, several U.S. airlines began canceling flights on Tuesday morning and afternoon.

United has suspended all service to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.

Telegraph: Israel Bombs Gaza Hospital

The Telegraph reports:

A dozen shells hit the Al Aqsa hospital in the town of Deir el-Balah, Palestinian health official Ashraf al-Kidra said. He said four people were killed and 60 wounded when the shells landed in the administration building, the intensive care unit and the surgery department. A doctor at the hospital, Fayez Zidane told Al Aqsa TV station, a broadcaster affiliated with Hamas, that shells hit the third and fourth floor as well as the reception area. Meanwhile, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry headed to Cairo to try to renew cease-fire efforts aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas fighting that has killed at least 530 Palestinians and 20 Israelis and displaced tens of thousands of Gazans in the past two weeks.

The Twitter War

Observers are wondering if this is the first time that the leaders of an ongoing conflict are also sniping at each other on social media. Twitchy notes that both Politico and Buzzfeed have openly wondered if such threats as those seen above violate Twitter's terms of service.

Israel Declares Cease-Fire

Just in time so Barack Obama doesn't have to deal with it, Israel has declared a cease-fire in Gaza.

Israel declared a unilateral cease-fire Saturday in its 22-day offensive that turned Gaza neighborhoods into battlegrounds and dealt a stinging blow to the Islamic militants of Hamas. But Israeli troops will stay in the Palestinian territory for now and Hamas threatened to keep fighting until they leave. In announcing the cease-fire, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel had achieved its goals, and more. "Hamas was hit hard, in its military arms and in its government institutions," Olmert said.

They got their hits in before Obama could force them to stop.

Israel Shells UN In Gaza

It will be very interesting to hear Obama's reaction to this:

Israel shelled the United Nations headquarters in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, engulfing the compound and the main warehouse in fire and destroying thousands of pounds of food and humanitarian supplies intended for Palestinian refugees. The U.N. chief, in Israel for the day, demanded a "full explanation." A senior Israeli military officer said Israeli troops shelled after coming under fire from Palestinian militants inside the compound - an account dismissed by a U.N. official there at the time as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in the region to end the devastating offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers, said the Israeli defense minister told him there had been a "grave mistake." Even as a top Israeli envoy went to Egypt to discuss a cease-fire proposal, the military pushed farther into Gaza in an apparent effort to step up pressure on Hamas. Ground forces thrust deep into a crowded neighborhood for the first time, sending terrified residents fleeing for cover. Shells also struck a hospital, five high-rise apartment buildings and a building housing media outlets in Gaza City, injuring several journalists.

British Tabloid Reports Threats To Behead Madonna Over Her Ties To Judaism

British tabloid The People claims to have "infiltrated" a radical Islamist website and learned of threats to have Madonna beheaded for her devotion to Kabbalah. According to the publication, Madonna has responded to the threat by increasing her security.

Madonna has urgently beefed up her family's security after being targeted by Muslim fanatics seeking revenge for Israel's attacks on Gaza. One Palestinian terrorist chief has threatened to BEHEAD the superstar who is a dedicated member of the Jewish Kabbalah sect. Madonna is also desperately worried for the safety of her children Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight, and adopted David Banda, three. We can reveal the 50-year-old singer has now...Got two ruthless Israeli former secret service agents to beef up her security. Warned her ex-husband Guy Ritchie his home in busy central London is vulnerable to attack when he has the kids. Told him to MOVE to a more secure pad where the children will be safe.

On the notorious Islambase site, a Palestinian terror leader says: "If I meet these whores I will have the honor to be the first one to cut the head off Madonna if they will keep spreading their satanic culture against Islam." The vile threat was made by Muhammad Abdel-Al, leader of the Popular Resistance Committees - a fringe group of Palestinian militia who have launched thousands of rocket attacks on Israel. Another misspelt rant on Islambase says: "What can be done to stop kuffars like maddona supporting the killing in Gaza?" On another site called Ummah a fanatic naming himself Hammed10 writes: "Madonna is a disgrace. "She insults us with her slutty behaviour and then she insults us further with her love of the Jewish kuffar non-Muslims.

If this story is true, these guys can't be very clever if a gossip rag can infiltrate their message board. Over on WorldNetDaily, wingnuts are claiming to uncovered the threats against Madonna over a year ago.