Everything you need to know about today’s coverage of Israel and the Mideast. Join the Israel Daily News Stream on Facebook.
Today’s Top Stories
1. Israeli intelligence knew of the secret US-Iran back channel before Washington formally notified Israel of it. Haaretz coverage.
2. The PA insists the embassy bomber “doesn’t represent Palestine.” Martyrdom operations against Israelis do represent Palestine — and qualify the bombers’ families for generous PA stipends.
3. Hezbollah has a fleet of 200 Iranian-made drones. YNet writes:
Part of the unmanned fleet is destined for kamikaze actions on strategic national targets in Israel or IAF bases during the next crisis which is bound to occur between the adversaries.
Iranian Atomic Urgency
• AP: Iranian diplomacy could effect the Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Israel has argued that it cannot take security risks in a deal with the Palestinians because it faces a potential existential threat from Iran. It could now make that point more forcefully, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintaining that the nuclear deal endangers Israel’s security.
• Iran launched a new Western charm offensive. According to the Times of Israel, there’s a lot of emphasis on Facebook and Twitter, which ordinary Iranians are blocked from using:
“Authoritarian regimes like Iran realize that they somehow have to join, accept what are the new rules of the game. While they cannot accept free media and free speech within their own country, they realize very much that outside their own country they have to reach target audiences not intermediated by traditional media, but directly,” he said in an interview.
We have reached an agreement.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) November 24, 2013
• No shortage of commentary/analysis on the nuclear diplomacy. See Ron Ben-Yishai, Boaz Bismuth, David Horovitz, David Harris, Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, YNet, and the Times of Israel. See also Eli Lake, Steven Spiegel, John Bolton, Erik Voeten, Meir Javedanfar, and the Financial Times (via Google News).
See also staff-eds in Washington Post, NY Times, Times of London, Daily Telegraph, and The Australian. You’ve got some reading to do . . .
• Last, but not least, Mark Regev discussed the situation with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer (see video or transcript).
Rest O’ the Roundup
• When it comes to UN resolutions on Israel and the Palestinians, Australia’s foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop says only “balanced” resolutions will get Aussie support. More on the story at the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian.
• For the first time, Sir Tom Jones spoke publicly about his decision to perform in Israel.
• FYI, the Times of London reports that French spies planned to assassinate Abu Hamza in London. The plan was to impersonate a British Nazi group called Combat 18 and let them take the blame. Assassinating radical Islamists on foreign soil? Sorry, but only Israel gets slammed for that.
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
[sc:bottomsignup]
