Iran, Hezbollah, Building Syria Militias
February 11, 2013 14:55 by Pesach BensonHezbollah’s Hot Seat
• Worth reading: YNet‘s Ron Ben-Yishai assesses what Hezbollah’s up to and why. This snippet speaks volumes about who we’re dealing with and the destructiveness we’ll see in the next war with Lebanon:
It purchased lands on the outskirts of the villages, built homes on these lands and offered them to poor Shiite families at bargain prices (to rent or buy), on the condition that at least one rocket launcher would be placed in one of the house’s rooms or in the basement, along with a number of rockets, which will be fired at predetermined targets in Israel when the order is given.
• A Boston Herald staff-ed weighs in on the EU’s reluctance to designate Hezbollah a terror group:
The careful parsing of expression by European leaders makes us fear that action of the European Union or its members will be calculated to seem strong to the European public, but avoid the designation of “terrorist.” Such timidity always encourages the evil-doers.
• For more commentary/analysis, see Colin Rubinstein (The Australian).
Arab Spring Winter
• A Wall St. Journal staff-ed (click via Google News) takes President Obama to task for rejecting proposals from his key security advisors to send arms to Syrian rebels.
By doing nothing, Mr. Obama has guaranteed that the rebels will be supplied by Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and the Saudis who don’t mind arming Sunni Salafists. That’s one of the lessons of “leading from behind” in Libya, but in Syria we aren’t even following from behind.
Rest O’ the Roundup
• A nice piece of journalism from The Guardian‘s Harriet Sherwood, who managed to get a rare inside look at the dwindling, reclusive Samaritan community. An influx of Ukrainian brides is — literally and figuratively — bringing fresh blood to the Samaritans.
Samaritans celebrating Passover on Mt. Gerizim.
• Worth reading: The dilemma of Al Jazeera English for American journalists
The Qatari-owned cable news operator is almost the only US media outlet hiring. But should reporters take the emir’s riyal?
• Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation. Two Mideast-related headlines.
- As pope steps down, chief rabbi lauds Israel-Vatican ties
- Abbas thanks Pope for supporting Palestinian UN bid
(Image of Kadiev via YouTube/one, Samaritans via Flickr/Flavio~)
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream .
Frank Adam
6:07 pm
Feb 11, 2013
I responded to the Grauniad as follows bu they have removed my reply per “Community Standards”:
Best advice on a touchy subject is cut all epithets as they obscure the argument and potential exits.
Next the Israeli GDP is $240 Billion pa, so cutting $3 Billion will NOT make a significant difference now that drones which Israel makes, are taking over from conventional fighters. It will be to Israeli political advantage to wind up the military aid so cutting US leverage over her.
Consider that one reason this problem has festered is cowardice to pressure the Arab parties by [at least threatening] the end of subs and aid to UNWRA pre 1967, and the PA since Oslo, if the Palestine Arabs continue refusing what is UN twin state policy since 1947.
The disasters of the Arab Spring and Iraq and Afghanistan before that, should clarify that dysfunctionality in the Arab World has more to do with Arab internal stresses than anything arising out of Israel which is the excuse for displacement psychology – not just on the South shore of the Mediterranean either.
Since 1948 the number of Palestine Arabs killed resulting from Arab rejection of UN 181 might just reach 20 000 maximum. Haj Amin the Mufti claimed 12 000 in 1948 and the Second Intifada reported 4 000. The number of Arabs and other Moslems killed by Arabs since 1948 runs over two million starting with the million dead of the Iraq – Iran Gulf War I; followed by the Syrian induced Lebanese Civil War & Black September, a couple of Algerian civil wars and the Moroccan invasion and occupation of the Saharawi, Nasser’s intervention in Yemen, Saudi ditto in Oman at Buraimi Oasis and the Eritrean War of Independence, Libya and the Aouzou Strip of Chad, and no doubt other incidents under the Arab League carpet.
If anybody is disproportionate about Israel and its UN endorsed right to be and to defend itself, it is Arab hypocrisy. To close the point do not forget the Turkish invasion, ethnic clearance and settlement of North Cyprus which turns the deliberate set up of the Mavi Marmora into “peanuts.”
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Henry Federman
7:57 pm
Feb 11, 2013
In honor of Purim I suggest that the president of Iran from here on should be known as ” Haman-Dinejad”. Both enemies of Israel !
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diana
11:55 pm
Feb 11, 2013
Sorry, I can’t help my weird sense of humour, thus in honor of Purim:
LOL! So,
1) the Iranians sent a monkey into space.
2)Jews are like monkeys and apes.
3)Iran sent a Jew into space.
4)Jews are taking over the Iranian space program.
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batya dagan
2:02 am
Feb 12, 2013
Islam and smuggling came into the world on the same day.NOTHING will stop that.
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Iran, Hezbollah, Building Syria Militias | The Conservative Papers
7:15 am
Feb 13, 2013
[...] a Hezbollah-controlled supply route into Lebanon and continue to manipulate Lebanese politics. VN:F [1.9.22_1171]calculating…Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)topsyWidgetPreload({ "url": [...]
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Middle East Media Sampler, February 13, 2013
5:24 pm
Feb 13, 2013
[...] you’ve read the New York Times you probably know about how the racism of some of Israel’s soccer fans reflects the racism of Israeli society as a whole. Shmuel Rosner’s To kick a ball down the [...]
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