Today’s Top Stories
1. The Palestinians submitted their draft statehood resolution to the UN Security Council late Monday night.
According to the latest reports, the draft calls for a Palestinian state along the 1967 with eastern Jerusalem as the capital, and an Israeli withdrawal within three years. So what’s left to negotiate? The US State Dept. slammed the bid and John Kerry has hinted that Washington might impose sanctions on the PA.
It’s not clear if the Palestinians have the necessary nine votes to pass; what’s known the draft’s language all but assures a US veto. The Palestinians are pushing for a vote this week.
2. Egypt announced plans to expand its Gaza buffer zone by five km, “with another 1,200 houses expected to be evacuated and demolished.” More at Daily News Egypt.
3. After he comparing Israel to ISIS, former New York Times correspondent Chris Hedges was disinvited from a University of Pennsylvania speaking appearance. Responding to the furor, Hedges lashed out in a rather link-rich piece. Do see Paul Iddon‘s take. (Hedges is a real blast from the past.)
4. The Independent Turns to Partisan Sources: Is it a coincidence that The Independent quotes sources in the same story who both promote the Israel “apartheid” libel?
5. HonestReporting Radio: A Christmas Story: Year after year journalists use the story of Christmas to accuse Israel of abusing the Palestinians. Click below to hear HonestReporting’s Yarden Frankl interview with the Voice of Israel.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Here we go again:
The rhetoric has to cause a crisis of faith for PA negotiator Saeb Erekat, who has claimed the Palestinians are descendants of Canaanites, and for PLO envoy Maen Rashid Areikat, who has claimed the Canaanites were occupiers(!?)
• Hamas denies recent reports that Qatar cut off aid
• Where’s the coverage? A Palestinian video gone viral teaches people “how to stab a Jew.”
• Worth reading: The Independent looks at Gaza reconstruction and why it’s happening so slowly.
• How big a scandal will this stir in Qatar?
• Haaretz: China to begin free trade negotiations with Israel in 2015.
Commentary/Analysis
• Staff-eds in the Washington Post and New York Daily News eviscerate Mahmoud Abbas and his statehood push.
• How close is ISIS to the Golan? Jonathan Schanzer assesses the Syrian jihadist threat to Israel.
• Let’s talk Turkey:
- Hamas’ new base in Turkey
- Khaled Mashaal addresses AK Party congress in Turkey
- Hamas’s Turkey dilemma
- Are Turkey-Israel relations permanently frozen?
• For more commentary/analysis, see Khaled Abu Toameh (What the PA didn’t tell the UN Security Council), Ariel Cohen (Jesus the Palestinian?), Farah Stockman (An issue where Israelis, Palestinians do agree), and an interview with Benjamin Pogrund (Is Israel an apartheid state?).
Rest O’ the Roundup
• Quote of the day:
“The battle against satellite TV and social networks on the Internet is more important than the effort of achieving chemical and atomic weapons.”
Abdul Reza Dashti, a commander in Iran’s Basij paramilitary militia. This quote was picked up by the Jerusalem Post from Iranian media. On a related note, Iran expanded its “smart” internet censorship.
• Egypt banned an annual festival honoring a revered Moroccan rabbi. AP notes this isn’t the first time pilgrimages to the Nile Delta grave of Rabbi Yaakov Abu Hatzira were interrupted. And the Times of Israel points out Jews have avoided going in recent years because of Egypt’s deteriorating security situation.
Featured image: CC BY-NC-SA flickr/Claudio Riccio; censorship CC BY-NC flickr/Ben Raynal
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream and join the IDNS on Facebook.
