Eli Lake – “Israel Bombs Gaza While Hamas’ Kidnapping Mastermind Sits in Turkey”: “Israel Defense Forces began a campaign of retribution against Hamas targets… but the Hamas commander who is seen by Israel as responsible for a wave of kidnapping attempts in the West Bank is actually based in Turkey. Saleh al-Arouri, that senior Hamas operative, makes his home inside the territory of a NATO ally.“The Israelis say he was one of the key operational leaders who has been calling for and overseeing these various kidnapping plots over the past two years,” said Matthew Levitt, the director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism & Intelligence at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy. “It’s not that he was necessarily on the phone with these kidnappers, but kidnapping in general has been a key focus for Hamas operatives in the last two years and al-Arouri has been encouraging it.” Now that the man who Israel believes has significant responsibility for the murder of the three teenagers is in Turkey, it could further complicate relations between Ankara and Jerusalem, two former allies that have tried recently to repair a broken relationship.” [DailyBeast]

U.S. says Israel accepted offer to help hunt down teens’ killers: “A senior White House official revealed Tuesday that Israel had accepted a US offer of assistance in hunting down the killers of three teens, but warned that Israel should “be precise” and avoid an overly “heavy-handed” response to that could further destabilize the situation between Israel and the Palestinians…. The statement by White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes came an hour after a State Department spokesperson confirmed the US had received “many indications” that Hamas was “involved” in the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers whose bodies were discovered Monday…. Rhodes said the US has offered to provide whatever counterterror assistance they can, but did not elaborate on what the aid entailed.” [ToI]

Possible Revenge Killing Adds to Tension in Israel: Israeli police found the body of a teenager in the Jerusalem area on Wednesday and were investigating a possible connection to the reported kidnapping of a Palestinian youth in East Jerusalem earlier the same morning, a police spokesman said… Israeli police were unable to confirm the motive, but Palestinian sources said it appeared to be a revenge attack for the murder of three Israeli teens. [Reuters] Violent clashes in Jerusalem [CBSnews]

Slain Israeli teens buried side by side. Israeli leaders delivered comforting eulogies and pledged action against Hamas. [Haaretz] — The U.S. was represented at the funeral by Ambassador Dan Shapiro, Congressman Ted Deutch and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen — Netanyahu: You taught the world what a mother’s cry and love mean [JPost] — Lapid: “We aren’t burying a settler, this isn’t a loss for just one sector or another but for all of Israel. I understand the desire for revenge, but what we need now is love, togetherness.” [JPost] — Israel releases chilling emergency call made by Gilad Shaer [CBS] — IDF said to zero in on teens’ killers’ hideout [ToI] — A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the West Bank: How the culture of shared rides around Israeli settlements breeds a sense of community, and delusion of safety [TabletMag]

SCENE LAST NIGHT: Thousands packed the Jewish Center on the Upper West Side last night for a community memorial service for the slain teens. Speakers included: Senator Chuck Schumer, RepsCharles Rangel, Carolyn Maloney and Jerrold Nadler; New York State Assembly SpeakerSheldon Silver, Councilman Mark Levine, Ambassador Ido Aharoni, Deputy Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Ofir Akunis. JCRC’s Michael Miller, UJA’s Eric Goldstein and Rabbi Joseph Potasnik. Manny Halberstam, a first cousin to Naftali Frankel, told ABC7 that they used to sing and play guitar together. “Always a smile in his face, always filled with joy, had a love for music, and that’s how I was able to connect with him,” Halberstam said. “I’ve taken a few days off, I really need to let this sink in, this is a tragedy. The best way to deal with it is to mourn and try to not run away from the reality that they were killed,.”

2016 Watch: — TOP-ED: Rand Paul – I Told Ya So: “Nearly six weeks ago, I proposed a bill called the “Stand With Israel Act.” Its purpose was to cut off the flow of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian Authority if it allied with Hamas — the same Hamas that just murdered these three teenagers. So let’s be clear: U.S. taxpayer money may soon be going to an entity kidnapping and murdering Israeli and U.S.children. That is unconscionable, and it must end… I call for all aid to the Palestinian Authority — every penny — to be cut off. Not one more U.S. taxpayer dollar should flow to Hamas or to the Palestinian Authority as long as it is allied with Hamas.” [NRO] — 2016: Money Machine – Bill & Hillary have raised more than $1 Billion in Two Decades, Republicans are worried [WSJ]

Israeli official: Nuclear agreement with Iran unlikely by July 20 deadline: “Israeli Minister of Strategic and Intelligence Affairs Yuval Steinitz said that the gaps between Iran and the six powers are still great, and it is unlikely that an agreement over the prior’s nuclear deal can be reached before the July 20 deadline. Steinitz spoke to Haaretz after heading a senior delegation to Washington to discuss coordination with the U.S. regarding the talks on Iran’s nuclear program. The sixth round of talks was scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Vienna, in an attempt to reach a final deal. [Haaretz] — Kerry to Iran: Deal Possible, but Time is Running Out [INS] — Oil, Auto Companies Make Plans to Invest in Iran if Sanctions Ease [WSJ] — Pop song is joint Iranian-Israeli effort [ToI]

A Grieving Father Pulls a Thread That Unravels BNP’s Illegal Deals: “A Gaza bus bombing that killed 6 Israelis two decades ago — and a New Jersey father’s quest for justice — inadvertently set off a chain of events that led American prosecutors to accuse some of the world’s biggest banks of transferring money for nations like Iran… This week, that crackdown culminated with the guilty plea of BNP Paribas, which admitted to doing billions of dollars in deals with Iran and other countries blacklisted by the United States and agreed to pay a record $8.9 billion penalty to state and federal authorities.” [DealBook]

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STARTUP NATION: “Ultra-Orthodox Jews in un-Orthodox high-tech positions”: “Tucked away in one of Jerusalem’s hi-tech neighborhoods, long-bearded men in black suits and women dressed in long skirts with head coverings are taking part in an organized afternoon prayer—men to the left, women to the right. When they are not reading from the Torah scripture, they’re coding for JavaScript and building mobile applications for websites. These men and women are part of the haredi community or ultra-Orthodox Jews, and although math and science skills take a backseat, with the focus primarily on Talmud, some have found an unlikely home in the country’s booming high-tech industry…“From the very beginning Jews have been business people and entrepreneurs,” said Jonathan Medved, founder and CEO of OurCrowd, an equity crowdfunding platform that invests in Haredim and other Israeli and global start-ups. “Whether you look at Moses or Abraham—they all had professional careers,” added Medved… Still challenges remain. There is a cultural gap between most of the “ultra-Orthodox” or yeshiva world, and the secular world of industry and high tech. High-tech firms have to provide religious employees with a same-sex work space, cafeteria menus must follow the dietary kosher rules more stringently, a censored Internet connection that blocks access to websites seen as ethically unsound according to rabbinical law, 8-hour workdays to help with child care and allocated for prayer time.” [CNBC]

—Former Israeli Intelligence Officials Get $2.5M To Seed Cyber Secutiry Company Hexadite: “Cyber security startup Hexadite, launched by three former Israeli intelligence officials, came out of stealth today and announced $2.5 million in seed funding. The money comes from YL Ventures with a contribution from former Microsoft Vice president Moshe Lichtman, a general partner at Israeli venture capital firm, Israel Growth Partners.” [TechCrunch]

—Israel, California sign major tech cooperation deal: “Israel and California have signed a major tech cooperation deal, promising funding from both for research and development projects in a variety of fields. Chief Scientist Avi Hasson called the deal another in a series of “votes of confidence in Israel’s economy, industry and innovation from a large number of US states and companies.” [ToI]

JEWS + PAGE6 = Bad Combo: Headline – “Obnoxious alleged heir to ‘half of Manhattan’ not who he says he is”: “The man seen in a viral video after a boozy brunch claiming his name was “Gerry Adjmi” and boasting his dad “owns half of Manhattan,” has considerable influence with Mayor Bill de Blasio and “owns the cops” is actually 20-year-old NYU student Gerry Shalam… Shalam, an Allenhurst, New Jersey native, is a member of NYU’s Class of 2017. His father Lou is a garment industry executive, and his mother Frieda is an event coordinator… Shalam is the co-founder of a charity called Brothers Helping Others that helps low-income immigrant families in New Jersey… Shalam, a member of the varsity College Bowl team during his time at Hillel Yeshiva High School in New Jersey, was videotaped by a passerby after he and some young friends apparently had been overserved at a Manhattan brunch spot… Shalam apparently used the phony surname because his stricken friend–who collapses to the pavement at one point–is himself an Adjmi, a wealthy New York real estate family… Before Shalam shot to fame as the “belligerent bloke on the block,” he appeared as scarecrow in the 2007 production of “Hip Hop Wiz,” based on “The Wizard of Oz” that benefited the Jewish Community Center in Deal, New Jersey.” [PageSix] [TheSmokingGun]

REAL DE BLASIO INFLUENCE – Former De Blasio Campaign Aides Seeks To Convince Brooklyn Community Over LICH Sale To Louis Kestenbaum’s Fortis: “The group, the Campaign for One New York, is listed as the return address on mailers that praise the deal, which will see developer Fortis Group build new housing on the hospital site and significantly reduce medical services.”[CapitalNewYork]That’s all folks, have a great Wednesday! 

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