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)

BAHRAIN

Bahraini Columnist: Gulf States Should Unite Against U.S. (MEMRI) the Saudi and Bahraini presses recently published a number of articles condemning  US foreign policy.

EGYPT

Egypt's Sisi Asks for U.S. Help in Fighting Terrorism - Stephen Adler and Richard Mably (Reuters)

INDIA

Israel Anticipates Warm Ties with New Indian Prime Minister(Times of Israel) 

See also Islamic World Wary of Closer Indo-Israeli Ties (Peninsula-Qatar)

IRAN

Dutch Seize Heroin Worth $23M in Iran Raisin Container(AFP-Daily Star-Lebanon)

Iranians Held in Huge Tanzania Heroin Haul (AFP-Dawn-Pakistan)

German Customs Find Heroin Hidden in Iranian Carpets(AFP-Times of Oman)

Russia May Build Eight Nuclear Reactors for Iran(Reuters)

LEBANON

As per Honest Reporting, Hezbollah Uses Israel As Excuse to Bully Critical Journalist see:

Of thuggish journalists and their masters – Hisham Melham (Al Arabiya) and Hanin Ghaddar's I do not have two faces (Now-Lebanon)

JORDAN

Islamic Extremism on Rise in Jordan - Jean Aziz (Al-Monitor)

PARTNERS for PEACE?

Netanyahu: There is nobody to negotiate with in Ramallah (Times of Israel)

The Nakba - Perpetuating a Lie - Moshe Arens (Ha'aretz)

PA exhibit for Pope presents Palestinians as Jesus – Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW)

SYRIA

Assad Regime Withholding Sarin Precursor Chemicals, Protecting 12 Chemical Weapons Production Facilities - Michael Weiss (NOW-Lebanon)

Syrian Al-Qaeda Reach Foothills of Israeli Golan - Suleiman al-Khalidi (Reuters)

Increasing Russian, Iranian Involvement Helps Assad in Syria - Ron Ben-Yishai (Ynet News)

UNITED NATIONS

UN Decries Rising Violence Against Palestinian Women(Ma'an News)

UNITED STATES

U.S. Vetoed Israeli Missile Shield for Poland - Ami Ettinger (Israel Defense) Two American companies are competing for the Polish deal. 

Jewish Archive from Baghdad to Stay in U.S. - For Now- Raf Sanchez (Telegraph-UK)

TED: Spreading Anti-Israel Propaganda  (CAMERA)

Iran Guards Suspected of Keeping Secret Funds in Asia (Kyodo News-Japan)

Revolutionary Guards Commander Admits Iran Operates Beyond Its Borders (MEMRI)

Palestinian Reconciliation and the Rising Power of Hamas and Islamic Jihad: An Iranian Windfall - Lt. Col. (ret.) Jonathan D. Halevi (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) By repeatedly defying the United States, and being prepared to integrate Islamic Jihad as well into the PLO, and possibly also other Islamic terror organizations, Abbas is signaling that he is no longer in the American camp. Instead he is adopting positions of the rejectionist camp and seeking closer ties with Iran, ally of Hamas and patron of Islamic Jihad.

Palestinian Magical Thinking - Jonathan Spyer (PJ Media) Palestinian nationalism in both its Fatah and Hamas variants rejects the possibility of accepting the permanence of Jewish statehood in any part of the area west of the Jordan River. For the Palestinian Authority, the nine-month period of negotiations came as an unwelcome interruption to a very different strategy to which it will now return: attempting to isolate and delegitimize Israel at international forums to induce it to make concessions in return for nothing.

Despite Economist  Claim, the 'Fanatical Settlement' of Kochav Ya'ir is Neither 'Fanatical' Nor a 'Settlement' (CIF Watch) While the UK media often employ euphemisms to avoid passing 'value judgments' on Palestinian terror groups, there are typically no such restraints in news stories and commentaries about Israeli 'settlers'. A good illustration of this dynamic can be found in a May 3rd article in The Economist  titled 'Making of a martyr'.

Stones Thrown at Christianity’s Living Stones (CAMERA) Just how serious is the Palestinian Authority in protecting Christians in and around Bethlehem? That’s the question Palestinians – and pilgrims to the city – need to be asking in light of the ugly and violent confrontation that took place at St. George’s Church in Khadar, just outside of Beit Jala on May 6, 2014. In addition to stone throwing, there was a stabbing.

Report: Pakistani Intelligence Planned Terror Attacks on U.S. and Israeli Consulates in India (Press Trust of India)

Egypt

Poppies Replace Tourists in Egypt's Sinai Desert - Gert Van Langendonck (Christian Science Monitor)

Europe

New European Funding for Legal Warfare Against Israel (NGO Monitor) The "Secretariat," a joint NGO funding initiative of Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, has announced a four-year budget of $17.6 million to support political and legal warfare against Israel.

Why the Middle East Matters - Tony Blair (Spectator-UK)

In Italy, al-Aqsa Mosque imam urges destruction of Israel - Yifa Yaakov (The Times of Israel) Cleric calls on Arab armies, including those of Egypt and Jordan, to ‘liberate’ cities such as Jaffa and Haifa  

Iran

Go to www.Memritv.org to see: #4249 - Tehran Friday Sermon: The Iranian President Should Punch Obama in the Mouth when He Talks Nonsense

Libya

Libya: Jihadi Terror Leaders' Safest Haven - Anna Mahjar-Barducci (Gatestone Institute)

Morocco

Moroccan group slams king’s adviser as ‘Zionist collaborator’  - JTA (Times of Israel) Anti-Israel organization names and shames list of people who symbolize Israel’s ‘infiltration'

Partners for Peace?

With unity deal, a catch-22 for Abbas The Palestinian leader is damned if he embraces Hamas and damned if he fails to position himself as leader of all Palestinians via elections  - Elhanan Miller (The Times of Israel)  State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Israel could hardly be expected “to sit down and negotiate with a group that denies its right to exist.”

Yahya Ayyash Brigades Claims New Rocket Attacks Against Israel - David Barnett (Long War Journal)

Syria

Syrian Rebel Leader Speaks of Peace With Israel - (CAMERA) Since the outbreak of the "Arab Spring", examples of influential regional figures offering a balanced and flexible perspective of the Israeli-Arab conflict have emerged. These more moderate voices in the region contrast with an opposing trend among Western academics, particularly in humanities disciplines, who rigidly adhere to a Marxist-derived ideological fantasy that is detached from both historical reality and the existing situation in the Middle East.

Ukraine

Ukraine Separatists holding American-Israeli Journalist – (Mashable and Honest Reporting) Speaking to the Russian outlet Gazeta.ru, Vyacheslav Ponomarev said, "We won't release Ostrovsky any time soon. We need hostages — small change to trade with Kiev."

United Nations

Iran, Other Repressive Regimes, Sweep UN Human Rights Posts (UN Watch) Other human rights abusers elected to the influential panel include Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, slave-holding Mauritania, Russia, and Sudan, whose leader, President Omar al-Bashir, is wanted by the ICC for genocide.

Unitied States of America

U.S. Treasury Approves Sale of Aircraft Parts to Tehran (Asharq Al-Awsat-UK)

Contradictory Stories from Christ at the Checkpoint (CAMERA)
Islam Critic: Brandeis Turned Honor into a Shaming - Phylis Chesler (Newsmax)

Jews from Arab Countries Respond to "Zionism Unsettled" (JIMENA) Recently, the Israel-Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA) published a congregational study guide titled "Zionism Unsettled".  On behalf of the 850,000 Middle Eastern & North African Jews exiled from their home countries, JIMENA would like to express to your our concern and media response to this issue.

Israel Police Challenge U.S. "Terror" Findings (AFP)