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. According to the Jewish Press, Hezbollah’s chief financial officer defected to Israel, bringing with him maps, classified documents, and a large sum of money. Why’d Hussein Fahs do it? He had been arrested for embezzling Hezbollah money. Daniel Greenfield of FrontPageMag adds:
As a Shiite, there are few places that Fahs can go that are outside the Shiite or Sunni axis. Israel is religiously neutral in the Muslim religious civil war and it has a definite interest in gaining intelligence on Hezbollah.
Fahs’ defection suggests panic in the upper ranks of the Shiite group, which has committed manpower to Syria, but fears a Muslim Brotherhood takeover there. With Iran under pressure and Syria at war, Hezbollah rightly fears being isolated. Some of the upper rank rats are now trying to figure out how to scurry off the Shiite Islamist ship.
(Via Israel Matzav)
2. Liberal bias at the BBC is in the spotlight thanks to an independent inquiry set up by the BBC Trust. The review, headed by ITV’s former chief executive, Stuart Prebble, will investigate Beeb bias in coverage of religion, immigration and Europe. The Guardian adds:
It may also include coverage of Islamophobia . . .
Prebble will investigate whether the opinions of viewers and listeners who participate through phone-ins are given appropriate significance. The review will look at whether the BBC has ensured that those who hold minority views are aware they can take part in on-air debates.
3. Abdulateef Al-Mulhim’s awesome commentary on the Israeli-Arab conflict is getting a lot of welcome attention. The Times of London republished it, though there’s a paywall.It also got the attention of Sky News correspondent Tim Marshall, among others.
But most notably, skimming through some of the 453 comments at Arab News shows there’s a real conversation going on.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Times of Israel: Khaled Mashaal admits that Hamas’ attempt “to combine resistance and governance” was a failure.
• Former PA minister Hassan Asfour boasts on Lebanese TV how many Israelis died since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority. Good heads up by Memri.
