...because facts matter

We learned about these sites from a CAMERA.org briefing on Sunday:

For Spanish updates see ReVista de Medio Oriente http://www.revistamo.org/

    Iran is doing what it can in this sphere - specifically funding HispanTV and working to normalize antisemitism.

For French updates see Info Equitable https://infoequitable.org/

The Fate of Palestinian Refugees in Syria and Lebanon - Pinhas Inbari  (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) In Syria, the brutal civil war caused significant demographic changes that can be defined as the war crime of ethnic cleansing, as Sunnis, including Palestinians, have been driven out of the country. The large Yarmouk refugee camp adjacent to Damascus, known as the "capital of the camps," has ceased to exist.    

     A secret European initiative sought to transfer the refugees from Yarmouk to the Palestinian-controlled Jericho area in the West Bank. Mahmoud Abbas rejected the initiative, however, insisting that the right of return does not apply to territories in the Palestinian Authority but to Israel.

The (Not So) Hidden Media Agenda (Honest Reporting)

Iran Pays Gaza Families of Palestinians Killed in Clashes with Israel (Xinhua-China) Iran paid $651,000 to families of Palestinians in Gaza who were killed in the conflict with Israel.

Israel to ally with Arab neighbors around Red Sea in bid to save world’s corals - Melanie Lidman (Times of Israel) Swiss institute to manage partnership between Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Eritrea, Djibouti and Sudan in largest regional project of its kind

Hamas Fails to Restore Quiet on Gaza Border (i24News-Ynet News) "terror balloons" have caused a dozen fires in Israel in the last two weeks.

Pro-Palestinian Group in UK Supported by Corbyn Forced Jewish-Owned Shops to Close - Jake Wallis Simons (Daily Mail-UK)

U.S. Tells Russia It Backs Israeli Airstrikes in Syria as Long as Iran Stays - Barak Ravid (Axios)

Illinois high school district in the spotlight for ‘Teaching Palestine’ course - Jackson Richman (JNS)

Not sure if I'll have time to do an Update next week. Wishing everyone a great weekend! 

The Impossible Future of Christians in the Middle East - Emma Green (The Atlantic)

Covering Eurovision, Rolling Stone Can't Report Accurately on Either Music or Politics - Karen Bekker (CAMERA) Madonna used her performance to call for coexistence and engagement, which is, in fact, the opposite of what Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) proponents advocate. Rolling Stone, however, in covering the story, opted instead to amplify the divisive campaign for boycotting Israel.

Netanyahu thanks Egypt for sending firefighting helicopters, says PA offered aid (Times of Israel) Planes from Cyprus, Italy, Greece and Croatia en route to Israel, as freak heatwave causes another outbreak of wildfires

Traumatised by conflict, animals find haven in Jordan (Gulf News) 

Russia Repels Attack on Its Main Syrian Air Base (Reuters)

Report: Iranian Revolutionary Guards Training Forces in Syria - Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem Post) A source said 100 men from the Afghan Fatemiyoun were involved in the training 

Walls Have Ears, An Analysis of Classified Syrian Security Sector Documents (Syria Justice and Accountability Center)

WHO Assembly Singles Out Israel As  World's Only Violator of Health Rights (UN Watch) In addition to voting against the resolution, the US, the UK, Germany and Canada took the floor to strongly object to the politicization of the forum Good News:  Since this story published several  Countries Change Votes After UN Watch Campaign to Support Israel

Man Arrested for Supporting Hamas, Threatening Pro-Israel Supporters(U.S. Department of Justice) Interesting, when I read this in Thursday's papers, I just saw that he threatened Trump and provided aid to Hamas, nothing about targeting pro-Israel supporters.

Separate and Unequal for Jewish Groups at Williams College - K.C. Johnson (Tablet)

Holocaust Revisionism at Williams College - David Bernstein (Reason)

Taliban attack kills 10 Afghan soldiers in southern Afghanistan (Aljazeera)

EU to Probe Palestinian Textbooks for Incitement to Hatred, Violence - Michael Bachner  (European Parliament)

Israelis and Palestinians Share Kosher Iftar Meal in West Bank - Tovah Lazaroff (Jerusalem Post)

BBC Two's “One Day in Gaza” has obscured anti-Semitism in Gaza (BBC Watch)

US warns airlines against flying over Persian Gulf (DEBKAfile)

Statement on NYU's Decision to End Its Relationship With NYU-Tel Aviv (CAMERA On-Campus)
Rashida Tlaib Has Her History Wrong - Benny Morris (Atlantic)

Gaza Fighting Triggered When Palestinian Sniper Attempted to Assassinate IDF Colonel at Border on Friday - Joe Truzman (GroundBrief)

Gen. Amidror: Iran behind Gaza Escalation - Herb Keinon (Jerusalem Post) Could this be reason for USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier being deployed to Middle East?

IDF hits back throughout Gaza amid rocket barrages; Israeli woman seriously hurt (Times of Israel) Army strikes 30 targets as over 150 700 rockets fired from Hamas-run Strip; sirens sound in Rehovot, Ashdod, Beit Shemesh and many other towns; home hit after family flees to shelter (Since this article published, 4 Israelis were killed)

IDF: Gazan Mother and Infant Were Killed by Hamas Explosives, Not Israel- Yaniv Kubovich (Ha'aretz)

Dishonest Headlines Parrot Hamas Claim - Emanuel Miller (Honest Reporting) As Israel's south comes under intense rocket fire, why are journalists repeating a questionable Hamas claim as if it is fact? 

Celebrities Denounce Proposed Boycott of Eurovision in Israel - Laura Snapes  (Guardian-UK) Their letter states: "We believe the cultural boycott movement is an affront to both Palestinians and Israelis who are working to advance peace through compromise, exchange, and mutual recognition. While we all may have differing opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the best path to peace, we all agree that a cultural boycott is not the answer."

Report: Iran Limits Its Plans in Syria(Asharq al-Awsat-UK) Israel's military operations in Syria, as well as the economic situation in Iran, prompted Tehran to give up a large part of its plans and limit its objectives in Syria, 

Torchlighters on Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day 2019 (Yad Vashem)

Hamas shifts tactics in bitcoin fundraising, highlighting crypto risks: research - Tom Wilson, Dan Williams (Reuters) Hamas has said Tehran is the biggest backer of the al-Qassam Brigades.

Well, this week we had Holocaust Remembrance Day and this happened: 

PA Holocaust abuse:  PA misrepresents photos of Holocaust victims  as Arabs killed by Jews - again! - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW)

Russia, Syrian army step up attacks on rebel-held northwestern Syria -  Suleiman Al-Khalidi  (Reuters)  The targeted villages and towns in northern Hama and southern Idlib fall within a buffer zone agreed to last September between Russia and Turkey as part of a deal that averted a major offensive on the area. Schools, health facilities, and residential areas have been hit, a UN official said Thursday. “The barrel bombing is the worst we have seen for at least 15 months.

The New York Times continues to confound. I opened the paper on Saturday morning, page A2, "Inside the Times, The Story Behind the Story" - Photo caption: Depictions of Jesus in the United States and Europe have historically tended to portray him as white, although he was most likely a Palestinian man with dark skin.???? While I realize that based on the time and place that Jesus is purported to have lived, it's unlikely he was fair-skinned nor blue-eyed. Isn't Jesus believed to have been a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. I find it odd that the author would describe Jesus as Palestinian because today "Palestinian" is a term that no longer refers to a region, but is used to exclude Jews.

Mapping Taliban Control in Afghanistan - Bill Roggio & Alexandra Gutowski (FDD's Long War Journal) ...since the U.S. drawdown of peak forces in 2011, the Taliban has unquestionably been resurgent.

It’s getting harder to track U.S. progress in Afghanistan – Katie Bo Williams (Defense One) “What we are finding is now almost every indicia, metric for success or failure is now classified or nonexistent. Over time it’s been classified or it’s no longer being collected”

Report: The return of ISIS fighters threatens European security – Francisco Peregil (El Pais) 

Iraq summit brings together rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran (Al Jazeera)

After Its Soldiers Are Fired Upon, Israel Attacks Two Hamas Posts in Gaza - Yaniv Kubovich (Ha'aretz)

Partners for Peace?

Israel's Armistice with Hamas, Growing Tensions with Abbas - Ehud Yaari (Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Ironically, even as Hamas and Fatah denounce each other's contacts with Israel, both are pursuing dialogue with Netanyahu's team. 

Hamas Announces "Higher National Commission for Resisting the Deal of the Century" - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post) Salah Bardaweel, a Hamas official in Gaza, has announced the formation of "The Higher National Commission for Resisting the Deal of the Century." Bardaweel urged all Palestinian factions to resort to "armed and popular resistance" to foil the upcoming U.S. peace plan.
From An Unknown Teenager To A Palestinian Symbol -  In Just Two Weeks  - Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW)

How Palestinian Leaders Encourage Terrorism- Bassam Tawil (Gatestone Insitute)

UK Labour MP Claims Video of Guatemalan Troops Shows IDF "Beating Up Palestinian Children"- Joel Adams (Daily Mail-UK) In fact, the clip shows Guatemalan soldiers beating and kicking two teenagers in 2015.  Morris is outgoing chairman of Labour Friends of Palestine.

Trump’s Middle East peace team has made a strategy of silence. That’s about to end.- Michael Wilner (McClatchy)

For those celebrating Passover and Easter, we wish you a wonderful holiday.

Lessons From Vietnam on Leaving Afghanistan - George C. Herring (Foreign Affairs)

Arab Writers: The Arabs And Palestinians Must Stop Rejecting Every Proposed Settlement With Israel; Sadat Was Right In Making Peace (MEMRI)

Iran Identifies CIA Network in Country(Mehr-Iran)

Iranian-Backed Terror Cell Dismantled in Central Africa (i24News)

Qatar and Turkey Face Setback in Libya and Sudan - Seth J. Frantzman (Jerusalem Post)

Olmert offered Abbas more than 100% of West Bank,  and Abbas still refused peace deal - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW) PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat who was present at the negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Abbas in 2008, recently told PA TV how generous Olmert's offer was on all final status issues. In fact, Olmert literally accepted all of the PA's publicly expressed demands, and even offered Abbas more than the full area of the West Bank and Gaza, and yet Abbas still rejected the offer.

Pakistan’s new interior minister is an Al Qaeda associate - Diane Shalem (Debka File) The late Pakistani President Benazir Bhutto, who was herself assassinated in 2007, had confided to her associates that Brig. Shah (the new interior minister) ought to have been arrested and investigated for his role in orchestrating and executing Daniel Pearl.

Russia Is Trying To Fly Military Planes Into Venezuela Via Syria Again - Alberto Nardelli (Buzz Feed)

Somali Diplomat Fired for Pro-Israel Views - Raphael Ahren (Times of Israel)

Women dominated the efforts to oust the president of Sudan- Aviva Stahl (WMC)

Israel Gave Russia Prior Notice of Strike in Syria (Asharq Al-Awsat-UK)

The BDS Movement Is a Cleverly Disguised Campaign to Destroy Israel - Alex Titus and Alexander Khan (National Review)
We find ourselves in a new kind of Egypt - how do we leave it?- Phyllis Chesler  (Israel National News) Just a few days ago, the New York Times had eight articles, which total 8,526 words, about the Israeli election—all opinion pieces masquerading as hard news coverage,....This largely negative, almost erotically charged obsession with every aspect of Israel’s existence is pathological but it is also highly influential. 

Democrats are increasingly critical of Israel. Not Pete Buttigieg. - Alex Ward (Vox) Buttigieg’s staunch support of Israel bucks the Democratic party’s trend. 

Trade Ties Bind Nebraska to Israel - Aviv Ezra (Lincoln [Neb.] Journal Star)

Upcoming Event at Asia Society New York

On April 24, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif will deliver an address at Asia Society New York and participate in a discussion with Asia Society President and CEO Josette Sheeran. This program will also be available via webcastat 8:30 a.m. New York time.