• Asks The Economist: Can Israeli Arabs benefit from the country’s start-up boom?
• The PA continues cracking down on press freedom, reports the Jerusalem Post.
• Over at the Wall St. Journal, Michael Auslin assesses what Israel and China sought to accomplish during last week’s summit.
Arab Spring Winter
• Syria reportedly put its advanced Tishreen missiles on standby to hit Tel Aviv if Israel attacks again. The Sunday Times of London says reconnaissance satellites have been keeping tabs on the Syrian army’s preparations.
• Two Saudi princes apparently laundering money for Hezbollah. The Guardian obtained UK legal documents that the Saudis spent a year trying to suppress:
In the context of Middle East politics, the suggestion that two prominent Sunni Muslims from the Saudi royal family have been surreptitiously dealing for profit with Hizbullah, a Shia force supported by Iran, is extremely damaging.
• One Palestinian was killed and three wounded during a shootout in Lebanon’s Ein al-Hilweh refugee camp. According to the Daily Star, gunmen from Fatah al-Islam began firing at gunmen from the secular Fatah group.
• UN figures say there are now 1.5 million Syrian refugees; an estimated four million additional Syrians are considered internally displaced. CNN puts it in perspective:
That means nearly 30% of Syrian people have left their homes amid the violence.
• NOW Lebanon assesses the imminent Hezbollah-Al Qaida showdown. Lebanon, not Syria, will be the main battlefield:
Hezbollah will not save the Shiites. They have already determined that Lebanon and all the Lebanese will have to sacrifice their lives for their mission to serve Iran and its interests in the region. The Lebanese need to save themselves.
That’s why it is also important to safeguard Lebanon today by fighting Hezbollah’s hegemony over state institutions.
Hezbollah vs Al Qaida? Pass the popcorn.
• Iranian meddling in Syria against Israel escalates. YNet picked up on Arab reports:
Officials in Baghdad said that Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, has given Major General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force Revolutionary Guards, the responsibility of managing the struggle against Israel via Syrian territory, Lebanese newspaper Almustaqbal reported.
• David Nisman weighs in on Bashar Assad’s “spillover strategy” in a NY Times op-ed.
• For more commentary/analysis of the Syrian situation, see David Horovitz, Ron Ben-Yishai, Amir Mizroch, Elliott Abrams, Tom Friedman, and CNN.
• Egyptian police blocked off the Gaza border to protest the kidnapping of seven of their colleagues by Sinai jihadists. According to the Times of Israel, Egypt’s planning a large military offensive. Reuters adds that hundreds of Palestinians have been left stranded on both sides of the border. See also Maan News.
• NY Times: A growing number of Egyptian Christians are leaving the country or are preparing to do so.
Rest O’ the Roundup
• Clifford May on the Newseum/Hamas debacle. Is one man’s terrorist another man’s bureau chief?
• Iran hanged two men it accused of spying for Israel and the US. BBC coverage.
• Israel to Open “Cyber Gym” for Training Against Hackers
• AFP looks at Al-Jazeera’s efforts to launch in the US.
(Image of Jacobson via YouTube/Magus Studios, Khamenei via YouTube/pittsburgh06hy)
For more, see Thursday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
Return to Page 1
[sc:bottomsignup]
