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Today’s Top Stories
1. As Egypt turns its back on Hamas, Hamas is turning back to Iran. The Jerusalem Post picks up on Arab media reports that Hamas officials held a secret meeting with Iranian and Hezbollah in Beirut. Hamas fell out of favor with Tehran when it cut ties with Bashar Assad, and even provided training for Syrian rebels. More at Xinhua.
2. Hamas shut down the media offices of several news services. Maan News and Al Arabiya were accused of “spreading rumors and fabricating news,” while a Palestinian production company, Lens, “provided provided broadcast services to I24 News.” The NY Times explains:
The move came after Al Arabiya and Maan both reported that some leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt had fled to Gaza after the military ousted President Mohammed Morsi this month. The reports attributed the information to Israeli news media reports and unidentified sources, saying that six Brotherhood leaders were directing pro-Morsi activities in Egypt from a hotel room in Gaza City.
The LA Times and AFP also picked up on the story.
3. The Israeli cabinet deferred voting on releasing Palestinian pre-Oslo prisoners. See YNet coverage. UPDATE 5:35 pm: The cabinet approved the prisoner release.
4. Anti-Israel Thugs Threaten “Animal”: Israel-bashing thugs intimidated 60s rock legend Eric Burdon into cancelling a Tel Aviv gig. Who silenced whom?
5. Headline Fail: Terrorists as “Political Prisoners”: Does The Independent believe that murdering Israelis — men, women and children — is a legitimate form of “political” protest?
Israel and the Palestinians
• YNet lists a who’s who of the pre-Oslo Palestinian prisoners whose early releases are pending cabinet approval. Our colleagues at CAMERA translated a comprehensive list of all 118 pre-Oslo Palestinian prisoners and their dirty deeds.
• Israel retaliates: Defense Minister froze permits for EU projects in the West Bank, while European aid workers were prevented from entering Gaza.
• Wait till the O’Reilly family finds out how many parts from their home computer were also made in Israel:
• Hmmmmm:
Any US guarantee to the Palestinians that the upcoming negotiations with Israel will be based on the pre-1967 lines would be a violation of written US commitments given to then-prime minister Ariel Sharon, former Foreign Ministry legal adviser Alan Baker wrote in a letter sent this week to Secretary of State John Kerry. . .
The group quotes from US president George W. Bush’s letter to Sharon on April 4, 2004, which it said was given as a political quid pro quo, in return for Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza.
• After lauding the interaction she saw between Jewish and Arab students at the Technion, Dr. Qanta Ahmed says Western academic boycotts of Israel will hurt Palestinians and coexistence even more:
Yet ironically, while the costs of boycott will be shouldered by every Israeli, the major costs will be born by Israel’s own minority population, including Israeli Muslims of Palestinian heritage. This is a population which is for the first time becoming highly educated, advancing in the workplace, collaborating with their fellow Israeli Jewish citizens and eager to enter the global marketplace of ideas. These Israeli Muslim Arabs are the keystones to lasting peace in the region. No one else is better positioned to bridge conflicts and cultures and yet no one else will be more penalized by boycott.
• More commentary/analysis of the peace process from the NY Times (staff-ed), Fareed Zakaria, Aaron David Miller, David Horovitz, Fiamma Nirenstein, and Alistair Dawber.
- Egyptian military launches Operation Desert Storm against Sinai jihadis.
- Israel reportedly struck another Hezbollah missile convoy.
- Was Uri Geller involved in the Entebbe rescue?
