Canadian Food Inspection Agency Backtracks after Saying Wine from the West Bank Isn't from Israel - Marie-Danielle Smith (National Post-Canada)
Iran Still on the Hunt for Nuclear Weapons Technology Across Germany - Benjamin Weinthal (Weekly Standard)
Referendum on Independent Kurdistan Puts Iran at Crossroads - Fazel Hawramy (Al-Monitor) Ahead of a referendum by Iraqi Kurds on independence in September, Turkey, Iraq and Iran have all announced their opposition. There are over 13 million Kurds on both sides of the Iran-Iraq border. Whether under the shah or the Islamic Republic, Iran has been the only country that has had an overall cordial relationship with Iraqi Kurds. Ironically, Iran's continuous support for the Kurdish peshmerga in past decades has ensured that the desire for independence continued burning among Kurdish fighters.
This Friday in Israel, terrorists murdered Haiel Sitawe, 30, and Kamil Shnaan, 22, officers outside the Temple Mount compound near the Old City’s Lions Gate. Killers aimed to set region ablaze.
Israel detains grand mufti of Jerusalem in wake of Temple Mount attack (Times of Israel)
Waqf official (Jordanian custodian group) may have aided Israeli-Arab terrorists in Temple Mount attack (Times of Israel)
Israel Boosts Power Supply to Palestinian Cities in West Bank - Hezi Sternlicht (Israel Hayom)
11 Years Since the Start of the Second Lebanon War (InFocus) This week marks 11 years since the start of the Second Lebanon War. The war took a large toll on northern Israel and its population, and still lives strong in the memories of many Israelis.
The North Korean Challenge: Insights for the Middle East - Amos Yadlin and Avner Golov (Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University) Israel is assessing the implications of the crisis, particularly with respect to the Iranian nuclear program.
Palestinian Authority Crackdown on Media Raises Alarm - Jacob Burns and Lubna Masarwa (Middle East Eye-UK)
Report: "Gaza - 10 Years On" (UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process) "Upon seizing control of Gaza, Hamas has increasingly tightened its grip on power, including by executing, maiming and jailing opponents and suppressing dissent....Hamas has committed human rights violations, including restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly as well as a campaign of arbitrary arrests, harassment, torture that even lead to death in custody. Certain associated armed groups, such as members of the Qassam Brigades, were also responsible for extrajudicial kidnappings, beatings and murders of political opponents." (page 5)
Biased Textbooks Turning Young Americans Against Israel - Rafael Medoff (JNS.org)
The Terrorist Diaspora: After the Fall of the Caliphate - Thomas Joscelyn (Long War Journal) It should be noted that would-be jihadists who are already citizens of European countries could have an easier route into the U.S. than migrants fleeing the battlefields.
