Iranian Atomic Urgency
• Mawlud Afand, the editor of Kurd-Israel magazine, who disappeared in Iraqi Kurdistan, remains missing. Point of No Return updates what’s known about situation:
The fingerprints of the Iranians are all over this kidnapping. According to Samuel Kermashahi, a representative of the Israel-Kurd magazine in Sweden, Afand was kidnapped by Iranian agents in Iraqi Kurdistan. He was taken to the town of Sulaimaniyah, then drugged and transferred to the Iranian consulate in Erbil until 12 June. On the night of 13 June he was driven in an Iranian diplomatic car back to the Iranian consulate in Sulaimaniyah and over the border with Iran.
• It appears that Iran, Syria and Hezbollah are using Beirut banks to launder money and get around sanctions. That explains the growing calls for Western banks to unload their holdings in Lebanese securities and debt. More at the Wall Street Journal.
• Two Iranians arrested in Kenya told authorities they intended to set off 30 bombs simultaneously. According to The Standard of Kenya, the pair targeted US, Israeli, British and Saudi interests.
• Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi denied media reports that he plans to visit Iran next month. His office says Morsi never received an invitation to visit Iran. Details at the Times of Israel.
• AFP: A UAE oil pipeline bypassing the Straits of Hormuz will be operational in August.
• Amir Taheri (NY Post) and Benny Morris (Daily Beast) weigh in on the Israel-Iran file.
Arab Spring Winter
• NY Times columnist Tom Friedman argues that Israel should give the Muslim Brotherhood a chance. Thing is, the Brotherhood won’t treat Israel better than it treats its fellow Egyptians.
Have no illusions: the Muslim Brotherhood at its core holds deeply illiberal, anti-pluralistic, anti-feminist views. It aspires to lock itself into power and exploit a revolution it did not initiate.
• Worth reading: Syria: How the News Gets Out
The saying that in war, the first casualty is truth holds true.
• Foreign intervention in Syria? The Christian Science Monitor features dueling op-eds arguing Yes and No.
Rest O’ the Roundup
• Nice CNN profile on Ester Levanon, the CEO of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange:
“The head of a stock exchange is the head of a stock exchange. Whether it’s a man or a woman, there is no difference.”
• Globes: Israel and China agree to build an Eilat-Tel Aviv railway:
The 180-kilometer line will run through the Arava Valley and Nahal Zinn. Netanyahu wants to cut travel time between Tel Aviv and Eilat to two hours.
The estimated cost of the line is at least NIS 20 billion.
(Image of Rabbi Sacks via Flickr/cooperniall, Afand via Facebook/Mawlud Afand)
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
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