• Israel confirmed it killed Fatah terror commander Khalil al-Wazir (a.k.a. Abu Jihad) in 1988. He had a lot of blood on his hands:
He was the mastermind of the infamous Coastal Road massacre, a 1978 attack on an Israeli bus near Tel Aviv that killed 38 Israelis and wounded another 70, and numerous other terror attacks on Israeli targets in the 1970s and 1980s. As military commander of Fatah, he unified fragmented factions of the PLO from his base in Tunis, and was accused by Israel of directing an escalation of violence against Israel in the territories after the first intifada uprising erupted in the territories 1987.
• Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Daniel Taub, got op-ed space in the Daily Telegraph to comment on Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.
• Israel HaYom: Christian Arab youth come under fire over desire to enlist in IDF.
• Not to be outdone by Qatar, Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is making plans to visit Gaza. Press reports cited Today’s Zaman.
• According to the Sydney Morning Herald, don’t rule out the possibility of Australia supporting the Palestinian statehood bid.
Iranian Atomic Urgency
• The Guardian: Iran suspended enriching uranium to the 20 percent purity level. Are the reports it’s based on credible?
• Iran’s parliament is putting Ahmadinejad in the proverbial firing line: AP says lawmakers are demanding answers about the country’s collapsing currency.
• For commentary and analysis, see the Financial Times.
Arab Spring Winter
• The absence of Western assistance to Syrian rebels boosts the popularity of jihadis, argues a Christian Science Monitor op-ed:
Meanwhile, jihadists are only a fraction of the foreign fighters streaming into Syria to support the rebels. Many moderate Islamist and secular fighters continue to join rebel ranks with pan-Arab motivations brought about by the Arab Spring. Expatriate Syrians are also returning home to fight.
Unfortunately, the lack of Western intervention is contributing to the rise of Islamism and jihadism among the opposition. And it’s fueling feelings of abandonment by the local population.
• The Arab Spring’s rumbling in Kuwait. The opposition is calling for protests on Sunday but the government says police will use force against unauthorized gatherings. More at Reuters.
• Sinai Becomes a Prison for African Migrants
Rest O’ the Roundup
• Looking at American coverage of Hurricane Sandy, Chemi Shalev (Haaretz) raises some interesting points about the differences between the Israeli and US media.
• Big Media’s high on Israeli marijuana. No funny stuff at AP, BBC, or AFP.
(Image of Wazir via Wikimedia Commons)
For more, see the previous Israel Daily News Stream.
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