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Today’s Top Stories
1. A 19 year-old Israel-Arab was arrested by the Shin Bet on suspicion of fighting with Syrian jihadi rebels. According to the Jerusalem Post, Nasser Masarwa, a resident of Taiba, refused requests to carry out suicide bombings in both Syria and Israel.
2. A 24-hour Israeli news channel is planning to begin broadcasting in the summer. The Jerusalem Post and AFP picked up on i24 News:
i24 NEWS which was founded by Frank Malloul, a former adviser to the French government, who will act as its CEO, will operate on a 24/7 basis and will have a website that will concurrently present items on politics, international affairs, culture, sport and other subjects . . .
The new channel will initially broadcast in English, French and Arabic and may expand to other languages at some future stage.
3. Forbes: With the Cyprus economy floundering, Israel’s best bet to develop offshore energy resources is in partnership with Turkey. And Ankara’s eager.
While we’re talking Turkey, Hurriyet reports that Prime Minister Erdogan postponed his April Gaza to May after John Kerry urged him to reconsider the timing.
“It will probably take place after my visit to America,” he said in response to questions about his intention to visit Gaza.
4. Why Are Only Jews Referred To As Terrorists In the Media? As “Jewish terrorist” Yaakov Teitel is sentenced to life in prison, it’s time for some consistency in Big Media’s use the “T-word.”
5. Anti-Israel activists faked another photo.
Israel and the Palestinians
• The Wall Street Journal looks at the American economic incentives to induce Palestinians back to the negotiating table. Kerry’s carrots are getting a tepid response in the PA.
• The LA Times and Christian Science Monitor assess John Kerry’s just-finished Mideast visit.
• Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird also visited Israel. According to the Globe & Mail, Jerusalem would like to increase Canadian involvement in peace efforts.
Arab Spring Winter
• Israel Not Advocating U.S. Support in Syria
• A UN panel details the proliferation Libyan weapons helping fuel conflicts in the Mideast and North Africa. Israel should take note, says AP:
But it said the destination for the majority of arms from Egypt is the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the militant Islamic group Hamas.
• Syrians are bracing for an inevitable clash between secular and jihadi rebels. The Washington Post writes:
Yet even as the regime continues to hold out, schisms are emerging among rebel groups over ideology, the shape of a future Syrian state and control of the significant resources concentrated in this long-neglected but crucial corner of the country.
“Fighting is unavoidable,” said Abu Mansour, a commander with the rebel Free Syrian Army’s Farouq Brigades, whose men clashed last month with those of the extremist Jabhat al-Nusra movement in the border town of Tal Abiyad, one of several instances in which the tensions have erupted into violence. “If it doesn’t happen today, it will happen tomorrow.”
• Tom Friedman weighs in on the Arab Spring.
Rest O’ the Roundup
• Sweden’s biggest political party feels the heat for “failing to confront anti-Semitism within the party’s ranks.” Jerusalem Post coverage.
• Israel and Cyprus scheduled a joint military drill for later this month. According to Today’s Zaman, the exercise “will focus on the security of the eastern Mediterranean region and that of gas companies.”
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
