1) The New York Times, Syria, Chemical Weapons and the Obama Administration Last week the editors of the New York Times asked Were Chemical Weapons Used in Syria? It would be alarming if Mr. Assad crossed a line few others have crossed. Within one minute, nerve agents...
Next in Syria Why hasn't the United States acted more strongly against Bashar Assad? Read: nyti.ms/12Ke82b on Assad's effort to sell his line to the US. Then this on why WH has already bought it: mme.cm/887R00— Tony Badran (@AcrossTheBay) April 25, 2013 The New York Times reports on...
1) Shia is Shia and Sunni is Sunni and never the twain shall meet A couple of Al Qaeda terrorists were arrested in Canada. So of course, expect the LA Times to start its account with this: Police in Canada said Monday that two men suspected of...
1) Friedman resurrects "Fayyadism" Some time ago, Thomas Friedman coined the term "Fayyadism," a concept that, according to Nathan Brown, never had a chance. https://twitter.com/ForeignPolicy/status/324912965759401984 (No I don't agree with everything Brown argues, but the fourth and fifth paragraphs are good observations.) In his most recent column, Goodbye to...
1) Middle East arms deal The United States is concluding an arms deal with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Hoagland: arms deal "weaken the only containment strategy Obama consistently practiced - the containment of Israel" wapo.st/12D0xtp— Shmuel Rosner (@rosnersdomain) April 23, 2013 The New York...
1) The red line? Back in December, NBC News reported that Syria had loaded chemical weapons onto planes and was prepared to use them against civilians. Syria prepared to use chemical weapons against own people; military awaits final orders, US officials tell @nbcnews nbcnews.to/RCH3Cz— Breaking News (@BreakingNews)...
1) The Middle East and Boston What have been the reactions in the Middle East to the Boston Marathon? Jordanian Salafists, unsurprisingly, endorsed the terror. "American blood isn't more precious than Muslim blood," said Mohammad al-Chalabi, who was convicted in an al-Qaida-linked plot to attack U.S. and other...
1) Syria and contiguity Jacques Neria writes in Stalemate in the Syrian Civil War: While Assad has survived so far, he has not been able to quell the rebellion, the economy is in shambles, and so are most of the areas hit by the civil war. Hundreds...
1) We wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea Yesterday Max Fisher wrote, Knowledge of pressure-cooker bombs is not limited to readers of al-Qaeda’s ‘Inspire’ magazine: And “Inspire” was far from the first extremist publication to distribute instructions for making pressure-cooker bombs. Yair Rosenberg of Tablet...
1) The PA's defense budget The Palestinian Authority regularly complains about its budget woes. Nitzana Darshan-Leitner writes that the largest portion of the PA's budget goes to defense: Recently, the Palestinian Authority publicly revealed its new budget. In approving the 2013 fiscal plan, the Palestinian leader Mahmoud...
1) Bursting the balloon When I saw the following headline at the Baltimore Jewish Times I was worried, " J Street Carved Out A Place In The U.S.-Israel Advocacy." The article, written by managing editor, Maayan Jaffe starts by faithfully recounting all of J-Streets claims. But,...
1) How to fight asymmetric warfare Once again Charles Enderlein and Philipe Karsenty are back in court. Enderlein was the reporter who created the story of Mohammed al-Dura. Karsenty is the media critic who had the temerity to question the much honored "journalist." Back in 2008...
1) The Cartoonish Mr. Netanyahu In the space of two days the New York Times featured four articles last September mocking PM Netanyahu's bomb cartoon. Nod to Obama by Netanyahu in Warning to Iran on Bomb - Rick Gladstone and David Sanger - September 27, 2012 In his...
1) Egyptian plagues Last week Zvi Mazel wrote in the Jerusalem Post (h/t Leslie Eastman) In a remarkable and enduring show of unity, non-Islamic opposition parties under the banner of the National Salvation Front are boycotting the regime until their demands – canceling the Islamic constitution...
Final Total – Anti-Israel – 12 / Pro-Israel – 3 / Neutral – 3...
1) The language of concessions The Washington Post reports Kerry presses Israel and Palestinians for concessions to pave way for peace talks: Kerry first visited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has resisted new talks for most of the past four years. His government had sought to file...
1) Casting the first stone - and all the subsequent ones too What's the difference between assault with a deadly weapon - a shooting - and assault with rocks that hit cars at potentially lethal speeds? Why should teenagers think of rock-throwing as something fun to...
1) Palestinian prisoners protest The New York Times reported Palestinians Jailed in Israel Protest After Inmate Dies: The office of Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, said in a statement that it held the Israeli government “fully responsible” for Mr. Hamdiya’s death, which it said...
Ron Coleman