Today’s Top Stories
1. Saudi Arabia launched air strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen. The US confirmed it’s providing logistical and intelligence support for Operation Decisive Storm. Iran demanded an immediate halt to the attacks. More at Al-Arabiya. Meanwhile, Israeli officials are trying to keep tabs on the safety of Yemen’s remaining 100 or so Jews.
The Jews living in Yemen – most of whom had the opportunity to leave for Israel or another country, but refused – face an approaching danger from the advancing rebel forces, who have repeatedly made statements against Israel.
2. The nuclear deal with Iran may end up being a verbal understanding with nothing written down, according to the New York Times. What could possibly go wrong?
Should that position hold — one of the many unknowns of the coming days — the United States and its five negotiating partners may find themselves in the uncomfortable position of describing the accord as they understand it while the Iranians go home to offer their own version.
Another stumbling block: Iran’s refusal to cooperate with a UN probe trying to ascertain whether Tehran ever tried building a nuclear weapon in the past.
3. Amnesty International released a report on Palestinian war crimes during Operation Protective Edge. As the Jerusalem Post points out, “This is the first report by the London-based human rights group that specifically focuses on Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza.” Amnesty’s executive summary and full report are online. AP picked up on this, as did the New York Times.
4. The Independent: Excusing Hamas War Crimes: One newspaper just can’t accept an Amnesty International report on Hamas war crimes.
Israel and the Palestinians
• An EU document leaked to YNet includes 40 recommendations for how Europe can pressure Israel to resume peace talks. Suggestions sure to endear Israelis to Europe include strengthening PLO activities in eastern Jerusalem, labeling settlement products shipped to Europe, and having EU officials present at home demolitions.
• A French firm pulled out of a $31 million Jerusalem cable project after receiving warnings from government officials in Paris and complaints from the PA. Haaretz coverage.
• Palestinians talking to AFP had unusually harsh criticism of Mahmoud Abbas:
“Today we are moving towards a totalitarian regime run by Abbas,” said Khreishe.
Abbas, he said, does not take anyone into account “and is not accountable” to any institution.
In the absence of a functioning parliament, the only legislative decision-making body is the PLO Central Council. But its policy decisions can only be activated by the PLO’s Executive Council — which answers to Abbas.
• Cool stuff, but smart war is getting too smart for me.
• How thoughtful. Hamas has dug tunnels up to — but not across — the Israeli border.
• Terror attack thwarted after soldiers find bomb near Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Commentary/Analysis
• As US lets Yemen fall, Israeli ire pales next to Arab fury
Firstly, an Iranian takeover of the strategic Bab el Mandeb Strait and the possibility of a Israeli ships coming under fire with no one officially taking responsibility for such attacks would not bode well for the Jewish state . . .
The outcome of the Saudi military operation may not be decisive, but reflects much Saudi, Jordanian and Egyptian frustration. The anger of these regimes is not directed at Iran, which is more or less engaged in the kind of hostile activity expected of it, but mainly at Washington.
It is slightly hard to believe, but at a time when the White House is intensively negotiating with Iran in an attempt to reach an agreement on the nation’s nuclear program withing the next five days, the Shiites in Tehran have helped topple a majority Sunni regime and made significant territorial advances. Yemen is a state with a long and unmanned border with Saudi Arabia, Iran’s number one regional rival. Yet Washington remains silent.
See also Ron Ben-Yishai and Reuven Berko‘s takes on Yemen.
• Tweet of the day from Herb Keinon:
• More thoughts on the Israel-US situation.
– Aaron David Miller: No end in sight to the Bibi-Obama soap opera
– Max Boot: Obama’s Mideast realignment (via Google News)
– Gary Rosenblatt: Sharing the blame as fault lines deepen
– Abraham Ben-Zvi: Obama: When rage replaces policy
• Omri Ceren discussed Obama and Israel with the Wall St. Journal.
• Likud’s potential coalition partners are all negotiating with for control of government ministries and Knesset committees, and commitments to advance (or roll back) legislation. Haviv Rettig Gur looks at how the sausage is made.
• For more commentary/analysis, see John Bolton (To stop Iran’s bomb, bomb Iran).
Featured image: CC BY-NC-SA Robbi Robbins via flickr with modifications by HonestReporting; mouth CC BY flickr/db Photography
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