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Today’s Top Stories:
1. Lebanon’s in an uproar after the chief of intelligence, Col. Wissam Al-Hassan, was assassinated in a car-bombing. Thousands attended Hassan’s funeral.
Prime suspects are Hezbollah and Syria. Suffice to say Lebanon’s on edge. See commentary by Elliott Abrams and Tariq Alhomayed.
2. There’s a new lineup of members at the UN Security Council. YNet says it’s good news for Israel:
Rwanda along with Australia, Argentina, Luxembourg and South Korea won a seat on the UN Security Council on Thursday – a move which could improve Israel’s status in the organization now that three of the countries to join are considered to be pro-Israel.
At the end of 2012, South Africa who has been known to criticize Israel over its policies, will be leaving the organization, thus enhancing Israel’s ability to improve its status in the organization.
3. Must read: Jonathan Freedland’s a voice of sanity in The Guardian: We condemn Israel. So why the silence on Syria?
It’s not simply a bias against Jews that regards an Arab or Muslim death as only deserving condemnation when Israel is responsible. It is demeaning of Arabs and Muslims themselves – implying that when members of those groups kill each other it somehow carries little moral weight. Such a view is not defensible, especially among those who would consider themselves to be enlightened or progressive. Every life has equal worth, no matter who’s doing the dying – or who’s doing the killing.
Israel and the Palestinians
• Bad news for Fatah: Independent candidates fared well in municipal elections marked by low turnout. According to AP:
Fatah won local council majorities in six towns, but lost in five others, a performance some said fell below expectations. In four of the towns where Fatah lost, including Ramallah, the seat of Abbas’ government, voters preferred independent lists dominated by Fatah breakaways. In a fifth, biblical Bethlehem, never a Fatah stronghold, leftists and independents won.
More at the Jerusalem Post.
• Sky News gives unchallenged platform to a flotilla propagandist.
• According to Haaretz, more than 3,300 Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem requested and obtained full Israeli citizenship.
• Meet Mona Abdo, the IDF’s first female Christian commander.
• Charlotte Proudman, a blogger at The Independent, addresses Israel’s handling of illegal African migrants after one stole her purse in Tel Aviv. I took apart her argument earlier today.
• You can’t expect a panel discussion on Israel to do anything but bash Israel when the panelists are none other than journalists Seumas Milne (The Guardian), Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (The Independent), Jackie Rowland (Al Jazeera English) and Tim Llewellyn (formerly of the BBC). I’m glad Richard Millett was on hand — I would’ve missed out on just how all-powerful the Israel lobby is.
