Everything you need to know about today’s coverage of Israel and the Mideast. Join the Israel Daily News Stream on Facebook.
Today’s Top Stories
1. Big Media’s interest in the Mohammed al-Dura affair continued. Martin Fletcher’s report for NBC News especially impressed me. More coverage at the Daily Mail, BBC, The Independent, Times of London, Irish Times, and UPI. Thumbs up to The Lede for embedding the Kuperwasser report.
One report that stood out for the worse was the Daily Telegraph. It quoted a very critical comment by Yitzhak Be’er, of Keshev, an Israeli media-monitoring site. But as HonestReporting pointed out, the Telegraph didn’t disclose that Charles Enderlin — the France 2 reporter at the heart of the al-Dura affair — is a member of Keshev’s board of directors.
See also al-Dura commentary/analysis by photographer and imagery adviser David Katz, plus Israel HaYom, Jerusalem Post, The Guardian, and AP.
2. Israeli diplomacy continues to suffer because of the labor dispute between ministries of foreign affairs (MFA) and finance. Now, Israel HaYom reports that the MFA is refusing to issue or renew diplomatic passports.
So it’s uncertain whether Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon will be able to visit the Paris Air Show, as is Tzipi Livni’s ability to attend peace talks outside the country. Israel’s new cabinet ministers can’t represent the country abroad either. Call it a first rate fashla.
3. EU diplomats to AFP: Britain formally requested that Hezbollah be designated a terror group; we’re poised for an agreement to blacklist it by the end of the June.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Israel doubled the Gaza fishing zone from three to six miles. More on the story at Reuters.
• US lawmakers blast critics of visa waivers for Israelis
• EU lawmakers deny they’re delaying plans to label products from Israeli settlements. Times of Israel coverage.
• Worth reading: Lyn Julius tells off Palestinian refugees and Maysoon Zayid:
So throw away that rusty key, Maysoon. This obsession with the past is unhealthy. Get over it. We Jewish refugees did.
Arab Spring Winter
• IDF unit shoots at Syrian post in retaliation for gunfire:
The IDF estimated that due to a recurring pattern of gunfire from the same Syrian area, directed at the same Israeli target and executed at roughly the same time at night, the gunfire was not the result of unintentional overspill and decided therefore to fire back.
• Lot of Big Media attention on Hezbollah’s deepening involvement in Syria. For looks at the fighting, the casualties and how it’s playing out in Lebanon, see take your pick of AP, Washington Post, and NY Times.
• Worth reading: “Chaos caused by Libyan war delaying intervention in Syria”
• NY Times: Brazil arrested a Hezbollah figure who defrauded Lebanese nationals in South America and embezzled money for the terror group. Naughty, naughty.
• AP: Jordan’s Prime Minister told the Vienna-based International Press Institute that the Arab Spring has forced Arab governments to expand press freedom. I haven’t seen any trickle down effect in the Palestinian Authority. Quite the opposite, actually.
• The Irish Times talked to Palestinians from the Yarmouk refugee camp, who are trapped between the Syrian army and rebels.
Rest O’ the Roundup
• Brazil is spending nearly $25 million on Israeli drones for World Cup security.
• JTA: Iran formally confirmed deal with Argentina for joint “truth commission” to investigate the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires.
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
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