• Terror Suit Against Jordanian Bank Tests U.S. Diplomacy and Secrecy Laws
• Hmmmm. Palestinian-American writer Ray Hanania describes the BDS movement as a bunch of losers driven more by hatred of Israel than by real concern for Palestinians. He contrasts that with pro-Israel activism, which he says is fueled by a passion for Israel itself — rather than animus towards Palestinians.
• You know John Kerry’s in trouble when Yossi Beilin is urging the Secretary of State to Come Back to Reality. That’s Moshe Yaalon’s line!
• Lots of commentary/analysis today. Elliott Abrams (four reasons against the Pollard deal) and a withering Wall St. Journal staff-ed on the peace talks (click via Google News) encapsulated most of what I read.
See also Raphael Ahren (despite Palestinian unilateralism, talks will likely limp on), Chemi Shalev (Kerry’s desperate Pollard gamble cost him the game), Avi Issacharoff (Abbas playing with fire in Arafat style), Jonathan Tobin .(Kerry’s last ditch diplomacy implodes),and Amos Harel (plans for more peace talks are a short-term fix). Daniel Gordis shared his thoughts in a National Post Q&A.
Further commenting on the Pollard angle are staff-eds by the Washington Post and NY Times, plus Aaron David Miller, Dennis Ross, Ronen Bergman, Frida Ghitis, Ruth Marcus, Politico, and Alan Dershowitz and Irwin Cotler (writing together in the Jerusalem Post).
Rest O’ the Roundup
• Iran loses Manhattan skyscraper to terror victims
In a written opinion Friday, Manhattan Federal Judge Katherine Forrest said the companies must hand over the building because they acted as fronts for the Iranian government and therefore “are” the government of Iran under certain federal laws.
• Kerry lauds nonexistent fatwa banning nuclear weapons? Amir Taheri, where are you?
• Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy:
Omar Bakri on the run as house raided in Tripoli
• Despite the significant media protests, here’s how one Saudi columnist justified the country’s controversial ban of Michael Wilner to cover Barack Obama’s Riyadh visit:
“The Saudi stance is not going to change” and the Saudi king “will not accept in his country a representative of an extremist, racist right-wing Israeli newspaper,” wrote Jihad El-Khazen, a columnist for the pan-Arab London-based daily.
• Over at The Independent, Mira Bar Hillel writes a strange piece about going out on a blind date with Ehud Olmert. If she’s attracted to ambitious men, she should check out the latest from Moscow:
Kremlin confirms Putin divorce final
• If you’re looking for a reason to kick the BBC, here‘s a good one. You don’t think the Beeb plays the same games about Israel, do you?
(Image of Abbas via YouTube/PressTV News Videos, Kerry via Flickr/US State Dept.)
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
[sc:bottomsignup].
