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Sundown: Israel Almost Apologized to Turkey

Plus, Oren urges Jewish unity, lessons from the ‘91 Crown Heights riots, and more

by
Stephanie Butnick
August 11, 2011
Michael Oren in Washington on November 8, 2009. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)
Michael Oren in Washington on November 8, 2009. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

• An agreement was nearly reached between Turkey and Israel, in which Israel would apologize for “tactical mistakes” during the 2010 flotilla incident and Turkey wouldn’t seek further claims against Israel or the IDF, but Netanyahu reportedly backed out and the deal fell through. [JPost]

• Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., urged American Jews to come together as a unified, bipartisan body in anticipation of a September U.N. vote on Palestinian statehood. [JTA]

• Final authorization was given by the interior minister of Israel for 1,600 apartments to be built in east Jerusalem. More approvals—2,700, to be precise—are expected, in what is likely to present a setback for diplomatic efforts before September. [AP/NYT]

• Ari Goldman, who as a Times reporter covered the Crown Heights riots of August 1991, reflects candidly on where journalism went wrong—namely, treating the incident as a racial clash instead of an anti-Semitic pogrom, which was what it more closely resembled—and encourages today’s media to resist simplifying complex conflicts. [The Jewish Week]

• An insanity defense looks like a possibility for Levi Aron, who was found during preliminary examinations to have a psychiatric disorder. [NYT]

• Israel’s foreign ministry has advised Israelis traveling in Britain to avoid areas of unrest and groups of youths. [JTA]

Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.