• I’m sure Palestinian refugees will take note of this JTA report:
• Tom Wilson weighs in on Uncle Sam’s double standards when it comes to Jerusalem:
First, it’s far from true that the State Department opposes unilateral moves by both sides. When it comes to claims in Jerusalem, they only condemn one side, the Jewish side. The municipality issues housing permits in east Jerusalem all the time, for both Jewish and Arab neighborhoods. Yet, it is only the permits for the Jewish neighborhoods that provoke any kind of reaction from the Obama administration. Furthermore, illegal Arab building is rife throughout many parts of Jerusalem. As in any municipality, the law must be upheld and construction without planning permission cannot go on unabated. Yet, in the past when the law has been enforced and illegal structures have been demolished, the State Department has protested Israel’s right to uphold the law. In this way the same State Department that claims to oppose unilateral actions by both sides has actively supported unilateral building by the Arab side, while opposing building homes for Jews–in Jerusalem.
Second, the very notion that this is somehow about “prejudging final status issues” is absurd. All of the building permits are for housing in existing Jewish neighborhoods. This isn’t about placing new neighborhoods in otherwise Arab areas of Jerusalem. More importantly, the WikiLeaks documents revealed that in 2008 the Palestinians already accepted that the “final status” of these neighborhoods would be Israeli.
• Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Daniel Taub, discussed peace efforts and BDS with CNN‘s Christiane Amanpour.
• For more commentary/analysis, see, Khaled Abu Toameh (Fatah’s take on armed struggle), Tom Friedman (Israeli and Palestinian waste water doesn’t recognize borders), Dan Calic (Kerry’s diplomacy) and the Melbourne Herald Sun (Israel may pay for tolerance it shows to killers). Weighing in on the Oxfam-SodaStream tussle see Wall St. Journal columnist Daniel Schwammenthal, Melanie Phillips, and Nick Gray. Last but not least, Irish Independent columnist Carol Hunt’s take on Scarlett Johansson vs. Oxfam is must read.
Arab Spring Winter
• What would an al-Sisi presidency mean for Israel?
“We shouldn’t go out on the roofs and cry out in favor of El-Sisi. But what is going on in Egypt is positive for Israel, and you cannot deny it,” Mazel told JNS.org.
• According to US intelligence, at least 50 Americans are known to have joined radical Islamist groups fighting in Syria. LA Times coverage.
• For more commentary analysis, see Amos Harel,
Rest O’ the Roundup
• Inside the Israeli-Made Security System at Sochi
• Ex-CIA chief James Woolsey: Anti-Semitism could be a factor in the US refusal to free Jonathan Pollard. More at AP.
• In case you’re wondering, some 240 million trees have been planted in Israel over the last 100 years.
• India, Israel to Build Anti-Missile System
(Image of trees via YouTube/KKLJNFWorldwide)
For more, see Thursday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
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