MEUpdate will resume late in July

ISIS' $2 Billion Jihadist Network - Martin Chulov (Guardian-UK)

ISIS Is Largely Self-Funded - Hannah Allam (McClatchy)

Turkey's Support for ISIS Islamist Terrorists - Daniel Pipes (Washington Times)
ISIS Allies Turn on Jihadists in Iraq(Telegraph-UK)

Christians in Iraq Weigh Autonomous Christian Region near Kurdistan - Michael Carl (WND)

Iraqi Prime Minister: "I Am Indebted to Iran"(Al-Hayat-Mideast Mirror, 23June2014)

Partners for Peace?

At Palestinian University Graduation Ceremony, Students Celebrate Kidnapping of Israelis (Israel Defense Forces)

Hamas Arrests Terror Cell Responsible for Rocket Fire on Israel - Avi Issacharoff (Times of Israel)

Leader Launches New Armed Group in Gaza - Raasha Abou Jalal (Al-Monitor) - a Shiite group
Israeli Official Names Hamas Leader Abroad as Suspect Behind Kidnappings - Avi Issacharoff (Times of Israel) The official is in Turkey

 Hamas Summer Camps: Liberating Palestine with Rockets, Rifles, and Pistols (MEMRI)  Hamas summer camp coordinator Mussa Al-Samak explained that the camps are aimed at enhancing the campers' awareness of the liberation of "all of Palestine."
Lieberman to Kerry: Mideast Ripe for Regional Deal - Barak Ravid (Ha'aretz) A peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians is unattainable and Israel should therefore seek a regional arrangement, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday in Paris.

60 Percent of Palestinians Say Goal Is Reclaiming All of Historic Palestine - David Pollock (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)     A new West Bank-Gaza public opinion survey conducted on June 15-17, 2014, shows that fewer than 30% of Palestinians now support a "two-state solution": a West Bank-Gaza Palestinian state in lasting peace with Israel.

British Muslims Flock to ISIS - Dominic Kennedy (Times of London-UK) While in the U.S., 56% of mosque leaders there have a modern outlook, only two out of nearly 1,700 mosques in the UK are controlled by modernists. (Times of London-UK)

European Reports Show NSA's Successes - Abigail R. Esman (IPT) NSA programs in Europe – and specifically its PRISM project – have now been confirmed to have stayed dozens of terror attacks across the continent… it reconfirms the serious threat of Islamic terrorism in Europe – one so dire that European intelligence agencies are willing to push the limits of their privacy laws in efforts to combat it. It demonstrates the extent to which international cooperation has allowed Western forces to kill terrorist leaders – and to do so with extraordinary accuracy. And it shows, finally, the powerful unity of Western intelligence forces in the battle against Islamic terrorism.

1,000 ChineseJihadists Training in Pakistan - Herb Keinon (Jerusalem Post)

Desperately seeking moderate Syrian rebels  - Lisa Lundquist (Long War Journal)

Syrian Brought to US for Democracy Training Endorses Jihadis  -  Ravi Kumar (IPT News)

Homeland Security's Mohammed Elibiary: Caliphate Inevitable – Ryan Mauro (Clarion Project) Department of Homeland Security advisor Mohamed Elibiary tweeted that a “Caliphate” is inevitable and compared it to the European Union.

I recently read that the US is planning to send troops back to Iraq. To what end?

NOTE: ISIS and ISIL are the same group. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant is alternatively translated as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Kirsten Powers: Iraq crisis not Obama's fault (USA Today)

The Battle for Iraq Is a Saudi War on Iran - Simon Henderson (Foreign Policy)

Iran sends elite troops to aid Iraq against insurgents - Times of Israel Staff, AP and AFP (Times of Israel) Tehran reportedly deploys special forces to help train, plan strategy as Baghdad loses further ground to Jihadists

ISIS Threatens to Invade Jordan, "Slaughter" King Abdullah - Khaled Abu Toameh (Gatestone Institute)

Jordan Prepares to Contain Fallout from ISIS Advance- Majid Al-Amir (Asharq Al-Awsat-UK)

ISIS Just Stole $425 Million - Terrence McCoy (Washington Post)  The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria just got extremely rich. This week the group made off with 500 billion Iraqi dinars from Mosul's central bank - $425 million

Qatari: U.S. intervention in Iraq would be seen as war on Sunni Arabs - Mohamed Salman (McClatchy DC)

As reported by NGO Monitor: No "human rights" NGO has produced even a short report on the violent attacks against Israeli civilians for the purposes of hostage-taking and bargaining, including the Ma'alot elementary school attack (1974), the No. 300 bus hijacking (1984), the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit (2006- 2011) and many more examples before the most recent kidnapping. Additionally, Arabs are celebrating the recent kidnapping of three teenagers. See video

Kidnapping of Israeli Teens: Accurate Media Coverage? (Honest Reporting Video)

Hamas Interior Minister Fathi Hammad: "The Capture of [Israeli] Soldiers in Order to Swap Them with our Prisoners; That Is What Moves Us" (MEMRI)

Norway Cancels PA Donor Conference in Wake of Kidnapping - Barak Ravid (Ha'aretz)

British Paper Legitimizes Lie That Female Genital Mutilation is Practiced by Jews (CIF Watch) The World Health Organization estimates that 140 million girls worldwide are currently living with the consequences of female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice most common in Africa, the Arab Middle East - and, based on all available evidence, non-existent within Jewish communities. However, the mere lack of evidence that Jews practice FGM is clearly not an obstacle to UK newspapers which - inspired by the worst kind of political correctness - are determined to legitimize this lie.

In Gaza, Hamas ministry bids a teary farewell – El Hanan Miller (Times of Israel) Qatar will pay the salaries of 50,000 civil servants employed by Hamas pending national elections.

Hamas Arms Program Speeding Ahead - Yaakov Lappin (Jerusalem Post)     Hamas' weapons production program in Gaza is moving ahead at full speed, with local rocket production centers churning out thousands of projectiles, according to Israeli security evaluations.

Abbas Is Lying to Americans, Says Former Hamas Spokesman - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (Palestinian Media Watch)

PA to Seek Wider Arab Reprisal Against Australia - Spencer Ho and Stuart Winer (Times of Israel)

The Lebanonization of the Palestinians - Jonathan Schanzer (Weekly Standard) The creation of a new Palestinian government that includes Hamas means that the Palestinians are poised to adopt the Lebanon model of allowing a terrorist entity to exist and operate outside of a weak government's reach.

Iran Launches "Hizbullah Syria" to Open a New Front Against Israel on the Golan Heights - Lt.-Col. (ret.) Michael Segall and Brig.-Gen. (ret.) Dr. Shimon Shapira (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

Presbyterian Vote on Divestment - (NGO Monitor) On June 14-21, the Presbyterian Church (USA) will be holding its biennial General Assembly in Detroit. On the docket are nine anti-Israel resolutions, most calling for divestment from companies doing business with Israel. One resolution questions Israel's right to exist by calling for the denomination to review its traditional support for a two-state solution.

88 Senators Question Continued U.S. Aid after Hamas-PLO Pact - Bridget Johnson  (PJ Media)

American Taxpayers Now Paying the Salaries of Palestinian Terrorists - Lee Smith (Tablet)

U.S. Weapons Sent to Rebels in April Ended Up with Al-Qaeda - Jonathan Spyer (Fathom-BICOM)

UNESCO Deletes "Israel" from Title of Exhibit on Jewish Ties to Israel - Raphael Ahren (Times of Israel) Six months ago, UNESCO canceled an exhibition about the Jewish people's connection to the Land of Israel just before its scheduled opening, following Arab pressure. The exhibition finally opened Wednesday at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Yet the exhibition's title has been changed to delete the word "Israel." Initially called "The 3,500 year relationship of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel," the exhibit is now titled "The 3,500 year relationship of the Jewish People with the Holy Land."

Afghanistan
Mullah Omar hails release of 5 top Taliban commanders as 'great victory' - Thomas Joscelyn (Long War Journal)

Iran
Ayatollah Khamenei: Those Who Want to Promote Negotiations Are Guilty of Treason - Cheryl K. Chumley (Washington Times)
The Power Struggle Between Khamenei And His Camp And Rafsanjani And His Camp – Part X: The Political And Media Confrontation Escalates Into Reciprocal Threats - A. Savyon and Y. Carmon (MEMRI)

Hamas Leader Meets Iranian Official in Qatar - Jack Khoury (Ha'aretz)

Partners for Peace?

Hamas Pays Palestinians to Harass Jews at Temple Mount in Jerusalem - Gavriel Fiske (Times of Israel)
Israel Responds to Rocket Fire from Gaza, Shelling from Syria - Yaakov Lappin (Jerusalem Post)

Syria
Syrian Rebels Describe U.S.-Backed Training in Qatar - Nancy A. Youssef (McClatchy)

Turkey
Turkey Blocks Flow of Euphrates River to Syria, Water Crisis Looms - Suhaib Anjarini (Al-Akhbar-Lebanon)     The Turkish government began to reduce the flow of the Euphrates River to Syria six weeks ago, then cut it off completely two weeks ago, threatening primarily Syria but also Iraq with a major water crisis.

USA
US Assistant Secretary of State gave incorrect testimony to Congress about PA salaries to terrorists, disregarding Palestinian Media Watch's  explicit documentation - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW)
How to Lose a War – Douglas Murray (Gatestone Institute) 
The New York Times: Making the World Safe for Terrorism – Steve Emerson (IPT)