Hamas Confirms Indirect Talks With Israel
February 18, 2013 14:55 by Pesach BensonArab Spring Winter
• Worth reading: The Muslim Brotherhood’s 213-Year Revolution
But the Islamist organization that seized the revolutionaries’ initial momentum has been fighting a very different battle for nearly a century, and Washington should note that the Brotherhood essentially views Egypt’s revolution as part of an ongoing struggle against western influence and values. One of the Brotherhood’s own spokesmen, after all, said as much in Washington.
• Hezbollah’s really rumbling in Syria now. Rebels say some 1,000 Hezbollahniks “invaded Syria” in the last 24 hours. Should we call it a surge? According to YNet:
Battles between Hezbollah and the Syrian rebels escalated after the death of Revolutionary Guard official Hassan Shateri.
• CNN updates the seven Syrians being treated in an Israeli hospital. And Israeli media reports that Golan Druze leaders are appealing to Jerusalem to let the seven Syrians remain in Israel when they leave the hospital:
“It is my duty as an Israeli lawyer of Syrian descent,” he said. “I expect the Israeli authorities to act according to the values of the Jewish people in this matter. The State of Israel needs to act with caution when it considers repatriating people who are likely to be sentenced to death.”
Rest O’ the Roundup
Ben Zygier
• Australia’s ABC News reports that Israel arrested Ben Zygier after he leaked detailed Mossad secrets to Australian intelligence.
The ABC’s Foreign Correspondent program understands that Zygier met with ASIO officers in Australia and gave comprehensive detail about a number of Mossad operations, including plans for a top-secret mission in Italy that had been years in the making.
It is unknown who initiated the contact.
• Why not let Australian intelligence agents use Israeli passports? asks Amir Mizroch.
We’re on the same side no?
• Worth reading: President Obama’s national security adviser, Thomas Donilon, got op-ed space in the NY Times to call on the European Union to blacklist Hezbollah.
Now that Bulgarian authorities have exposed Hezbollah’s global terrorist agenda, European governments must respond swiftly. They must disrupt its operational networks, stop flows of financial assistance to the group, crack down on Hezbollah-linked criminal enterprises and condemn the organization’s leaders for their continued pursuit of terrorism.
Meanwhile, Israel HaYom notes that EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet tomorrow.
• Israel sent cutting edge electronic warfare systems to the Turkish air force. It’s the first Israeli delivery of military equipment to Turkey since the Mavi Marmara incident. Details at Today’s Zaman.
• Intel: Israel May Not Remain “Start-Up Nation”
• For commentary on the Iranian nuclear issue, see the Financial Times (via Google News).
• An interesting Jewish Chronicle op-ed posits that there’s a yawning chasm between how Jews and non-Jews perceive what is anti-Semitic and what isn’t. The non-Jewish public doesn’t take concerns for anti-Semitism as seriously because it doesn’t perceive the problem the way Jews do.
(Image of mosque via Flickr/Fighting Irish 1977)
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
m
5:35 pm
Feb 18, 2013
boob simons; smarmy slice of excrement that it is ….. again.
Failed to mention how much CASH THE USA GIVES THE TERRORIST PALIS. Just thought I should mention that tiny factoid; it’s billions.
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steven jay rosenberg
5:50 pm
Feb 18, 2013
I really think the 60 Minute segment on Iron Dome was a very anti-Israel propaganda piece. http://www.voice4israel.com/blog/propaganda-60-minutes/
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m
6:09 pm
Feb 18, 2013
What else is new …
It started out as usual as some sort of nod to Israel’s achievements and then turns into a boob simons move of a slap in the face. I’m so sick of it all.
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emes
12:46 am
Feb 19, 2013
Bob Simons concluded his report & mentioned that “hamas never surrendered…etc.,” – this reminded me of a quote by Dr Wm. E Blackstone, a foremost authority on international law, who pointed out in 1891 “that since the Jews never gave up their title to Palestine nor abandoned the land, they simply succumbed after a most desperate conflict, to the overwhelming power of the Romans and were captured or enslaved.” Also claimed, alongside other luminaries of his day the Jewish claim was legally, at least, SOUND! Others claimed “the forcible manner by whch Israelies have been kept out of the land, with no means of redress is equivalent in principle to con’td state of war” Israel BELONGS to Jews!
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Larry
9:24 am
Feb 19, 2013
60 Minutes was, is and will always be a Anti-Israel and Anti-Semitic program.
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Jeffrey Nakar
1:07 pm
Feb 19, 2013
The standard journalistic technique was used of allowing Israel’s enemies to make bold statements without questioning them or challenging what is being said whilst quizzing Israeli spokesmen on every statement. In this case there was no challenge to the Palestinian statements of how much Israel received, no balancing correction to point out how much the Palestinians receive and no challenge to the view that there should be pressure on Israel because of the payments or a counter-view that the same argument could be used to put pressure on the Palestinians.
In fact, American aid is just over 1% of Israel’s GDP and is mostly spent on American products or on research from which America benefits.
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Irv Dain
5:05 am
Feb 24, 2013
The USA and the rest of the world benifits from Israeli inventions
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