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.

Egypt's Lukewarm Response To Climate Change -  Maha T. Khalil (Mada Masr/WorldCrunch)
Egypt Withdraws from U.S.-Led "Arab NATO" - Stephen Kalin (Reuters) Egypt has pulled out of the U.S. effort to forge an "Arab NATO" to contain Iran, said sources familiar with the decision. A meeting of the participants in the proposed Middle East Security Alliance (MESA) is to be held Sunday in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. MESA participants include the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman and Jordan. 

Police Raids across Germany Target Hamas-Linked Charities (Deutsche Welle-Germany)

Why Netanyahu Keeps Winning - Aaron Kliegman  (Washington Free Beacon) Netanyahu's views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are mainstream because Israelis see how the Palestinian leadership repeatedly spit on, if not try to cut off or blow up, their government's outstretched hand.

In Libya, One of Putin’s Many Bets Is in Play - Leonid Bershidsky (Bloomberg) Putin’s generals and diplomats have built a new relationship – with Haftar, who commands the strongest military force in Libya and contains most of the country’s oil and gas. 

From Gaza classrooms to the DNC, Palestinian female terrorists are all the rage - Emily Benedek (Times of Israel) Two-time PFLP hijacker Leila Khaled isn’t just lionized in the Arab world — she’s regularly invited to speak in Europe. Now the American hard left is picking up her ideology

Vice News Reporter’s False Claim: “270 Children Killed in Gaza” - Emanuel Miller (Honest Reporting) A Vice News Tonight report aired on television by HBO on April 3 spread a clearly false claim smearing the IDF and the State of Israel. 

Palestinian Police Arrest Hundreds of People Every Week at West Bank-Jordan Checkpoint - Elder of Ziyon (Algemeiner)  Last week, 184 Palestinians were detained by the PA. The week before, 223 were arrested by the PA, and 252 in the preceding week. Are those arrested criminals? Political dissidents? No one seems to care. Because only Israeli arrests of Palestinians are worth reporting by the media.

Picketing Cape Town's Jewish Groups in the Name of Palestinians - Armin Rosen (Tablet) The Council of South African Trade Unions picketed the Cape Town offices of the Jewish Board of Deputies as part of the country's annual Israel Apartheid Week festivities.  Why target the board, whose mission is to "promote the safety and welfare of South African Jewry"?  Malvern De Bruyn, a COSATU activist, explained: "There's no embassy in Cape Town. That's why we came to the board of deputies."     In the absence of an Israeli target, COSATU chose the most visible and convenient Jewish one.

How U.S. F-35 Technology Would Be Compromised If Turkey Had the Russian S-400 Anti-Aircraft System (Air Force Times)

In NY Times Israel Coverage, Anything Goes - Tamar Stenthal (CAMERA)

Israeli Election: A Vote of No Confidence in the Media - Simon Plosker (Honest Reporting)

Iran Moves to Cement Its Influence in Syria - Raja Abdulrahim and Benoit Faucon (Wall Street Journal) Iran is offering cash, food, Iranian ID cards, public services and free education to Syria's majority Sunni Muslim.... Iran's hearts-and-minds campaign undermines efforts by the U.S., Israel and Arab states to roll back Tehran's influence and force it out of Syria.

Nine Iranians Nabbed in Sri Lanka with 107 Kg. of Heroin (Sunday Times-Sri Lanka)
Report: Hamas Says Iran Ordered Rocket Attack on Israel - Ilanit Chernick (Jerusalem Post) A senior Hamas official claimed that Iran "went over the heads" of the Hamas leadership and ordered Islamic Jihad to carry out the attack.

IDF Hits Targets in Gaza as Palestinians Fire 60 Rockets at Israel (Globes) 

Hamas: "Scatter the enemies' body parts,  make the skulls fly in the sky"  - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW) While Hamas was launching missiles at Israel's civilian population yesterday, Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV was broadcasting calls to murder Israelis.

Headline Fails and Faulty Coverage: Mishmeret Rocket Attack - Simon Plosker (Honest Reporting)

Syria repels Israeli air 'aggression' in Aleppo province: report (France24) The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Israeli bombardment hit “ammunition stores belonging to Iranian forces and allied groups, and caused huge explosions.”

Så har islamisterna byggt upp sin maktbas i Sverige - Auli Carl (Göteborgs-Posten) Coverage of the Muslim Brotherhood in Sweden

All ISIS Has Left Is Money. Lots of It.- David Kenner (The Atlantic) the bulk of the Islamic State’s assets had been transferred to Turkey

A Disturbing Vote at Brown University - Editorial (Providence Journal)

Iranians Arrested in Buenos Aires with Forged Israeli Passports (Times of Israel)

Iran's Wartime Preparations include Terrorist Attacks and Assassinations - Zach Dorfman (Yahoo News) Iran's relative military weakness has led it to focus on preparations to attack "softer" targets, such as U.S. government facilities and personnel, and even civilian institutions like synagogues. 

Iran-Backed Militias Step Up the Battle in Iraq - Jonathan Spyer (Wall Street Journal) 

Israeli and Palestinian Firefighters in Joint Exercise in West Bank - Adam Rasgon (Times of Israel)

Lebanese Man Jailed for Contacting Israel via Facebook(Naharnet-Lebanon)

UN to hold Libya conference in April (Reuters)

Malaysia Has Become Hub for Iranian Activity - Chaim Levinson (Ha'aretz)  "Malaysia is the meeting point between various terrorist organizations and the Iranians," an Israeli official says.

PA official implicitly endorses yesterday's terror attack in which 2 Israelis were murdered - Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Maurice Hirsch, Adv. (PMW) Spokesman of the PA Security Forces adamantly denies having condemned attack, Hamas claims he called the attack "a crime" 

Hamas Breaks Up Gaza Protests (AP-Daily Mail-UK) Hamas security forces in Gaza on Thursday forcibly dispersed hundreds of Palestinians protesting dire living conditions.  Videos circulated on social media showed police firing live rounds in the air, beating protesters and hauling them into police vehicles after demonstrators burned tires and blocked roads.
Video: Hamas Suppresses Protesters in Gaza(GazaLive-Twitter)

Iran Plans Takeover of Syria's Main Commercial Port at Latakia - Hannah Lucinda Smith (Sunday Times-UK)

Syria’s civil war is now three civil wars - Jonathan Spyer (Foreign Policy)

Turkey: Tens of Thousands Prosecuted for "Insulting" Erdoğan - Uzay Bulut (Gatestone Institute)

Turkey Is Changing the Middle East - Hussein Ibish (Bloomberg) 

International Terrorism Prosecutions During Winter 2019 - Emma Broches, Julia Solomon-Strauss (Lawfare) 

Video: Islamic Education Center in Houston Celebrates Iran's Islamic Revolution; Schoolchildren Sing: Khamenei Is Our Leader, We Are His Soldiers (MEMRI) "

Four Years of Gaza Rockets Erased - Pesach Benson (Honest Reporting) The New York Post forgot about continuous rocket fire since 2014

Assault on Israel Begins (UN Watch) 

Condolences to New Zealanders. 

We were in Canada this past weekend and talked with some locals. While anecdotal, Canadians were concerned about refugees and how they are changing the culture and finances of Canada. Despite getting aid nationally for 1 yr., (Note: In US, some counties provide aid for just 30 days), most of the refugees' education levels are so low that 1 yr is not enough to get a job. Plus many are disabled. The govt. agreed to take on these additional responsibilities with no budget/money committed to these programs.

Afghanistan's National Security Advisor on the U.S., Pakistan, and More - (Asia Society Youtube Video) "Characterizing it (the war in Afghanistan) as an American war does a disservice to the sacrifices made by Afghans," he said.

Afghan military kills 31 AQIS fighters in Ghazni- Bill Roggio (FDD's Long War Jounral)  Despite repeated claims to the contrary, al Qaeda has not been defeated in Afghanistan, and it still continues to operate alongside its ally, the Taliban. Meanwhile, major news sources report the US is negotiating with the Taliban not the Afghan govt.

A Regime Conceals Its Erasure of Indigenous Armenian Culture -Simon Maghakyan and Sarah Hickman  (Hyperallergic)  Unlike the self-publicized cultural destruction of ISIS, independent Azerbaijan’s covert campaign to re-engineer Nakhichevan’s historical landscape between 1997 and 2006 is little known outside the region.

Monumental loss: Azerbaijan and 'the worst cultural genocide of the 21st century' - Dale Berning Sawa (The Guardian)

Egypt Seeks to Consolidate Truce in Gaza - Kifah Ziboun (Asharq Al-Awsat-UK)

Egypt Opens 105-Mile Hiking Trail in the Red Sea Mountains - Lyndsey Matthews (Afar)

Ongoing Protests in Jordan Threaten to Destabilize the Regime - Z. Harel (MEMRI) The public unrest in Jordan is not dying down, and the frequent protests are threatening to destabilize the country.

Jordan's King Abdullah: Walking a Fine Line between the Bedouin and the Palestinians - Daniel Siryoti (Israel Hayom) 

While it's hard to imagine the Palestinian Authority as a partner for peace, Hamas has no trouble with this image.  Palestinians: Abbas Stands 'Trial' for Treason - Khaled Abu Toameh (Gatestone Institute) The mock trial in the Gaza Strip of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas may seem like some sort of bizarre comedy act. The "trial," however, is designed to send a signal not only to Abbas, but to any Palestinian who even thinks of making peace with Israel or recognizing its right to exist.

Official PA TV teaches children that Israel will come to an end: "All of Palestine will return to us"-  Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW) Despite insurances from Palestinian Authority leaders that they support a two-state solution and want to live side by side with Israel, the PA continues to teach children that Israel will come to an end.

Reuters, AFP Captions Misidentify Bombed Hamas Base as 'Under-Construction Seaport' (CAMERA)

Muhammad Shtayyeh:  Profile of the new Palestinian Prime Minister  - Maurice Hirsch, Adv. and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW) Shtayyeh believes that Palestinian terrorists, including terrorists and murderers imprisoned in Israel, are not terrorists but rather freedom fighters

Syria Vows to Attack Israel Unless It Withdraws from the Golan Heights - Hagay Hacohen (Jerusalem Post)

NATO Member Turkey Announces Joint Military Operation with Iran Against Kurdish Fighters - Ben Cohen (Algemeiner)

At a "Discussion on the Middle East" this week at The Center on National Security at Fordham Law, we listened to John O. Brennan and Ali Soufan provide their thoughts on important issues. Many topics were covered. These are just some interesting highlights:

-The US should engage with Iran and assuage their fear that they'll end up like Iraq/Saddam

-US is becoming irrelevant in Afghanistan. US criticized for meeting/negotiating with Taliban and not the other players, including the govt, Russia, and China. Russia is taking the lead here.

-Yemen is "the worst disaster in the world." 

- Libya, Yemen, Algeria, Sudan - Combatants are proxies for Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, etc. Money, especially from Iran and Saudi Arabia are behind the conflicts. 

-The root of the ideology that supports and spreads military/terrorist Islam throughout the world continues to be Saudi Arabia's export of Wahhabi philosophy/education. Because the most important thing to MBS is staying in power, he's willing to work w/Wahhabi religious leadership.

Paul, Udall introduce bill to end Afghanistan War - Ellen Mitchel (The Hill)

Former IDF Legal Expert: Hamas, Hizbullah "Hide Missiles in Children's Rooms" - Yaakov Lappin (JNS)

Hamas Is Negotiating with Explosives - Yaakov Lappin (i24News) Recent days have seen a spike in the number of Hamas-orchestrated bombs and IEDs on the border with Gaza. According to a Kan TV news report, Hamas is demanding $20 million for a cessation of grenade-throwing rioters and balloons carrying explosives over the border into Israeli communities. 

The Media Only Cares About Palestinians If Israel Can Be Blamed - Sean Durns (The Algemeiner)

Report: Putin Promises Netanyahu to Stop Delivery of S-300 to Syrian Regime - Nazir Magally (Asharq Al-Awsat-UK)

Russian Special Forces Train Palestinian Militia in Syria - Caleb Weiss (Long War Journal) In a video released Tuesday by the Russian news channel RT,Russian special forces were shown training members of Liwa al Quds, a pro-regime Palestinian militia group in Syria.

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt Reject Clause Stopping Normalization with Israel (Middle East Monitor-UK) Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt on Monday rejected a statement by the Union of Arab Parliaments meeting in Amman which called for stopping normalization with Israel, the Shehabnews agency reported.

Why???

70 years of transcripts from UK’s parliament show clear ‘obsession’ with Israel - Robert Philpot (Times of Israel)

Debunking the Guardian myth that anti-Zionism is not antisemitic - Adam Levick (CAMERA UK Media Watch)

CUNY investigates allegations that partner group is tied to terrorism - Madina Toure (Politico) 

Gaslighting Gaza: The UN Commission of Inquiry on the Gaza Riots (NGO Monitor)

CUNY Law Teams Up with PFLP-Linked NGO on UN Submission  (NGO Monitor)

Venezuela in Crisis: Iran's Poisonous Role - (Video/Youtube Middle East Forum) The Maduro regime in Venezuela is fortified by Russian mercenaries, Cuban paramilitary elements, Hezbollah, and Iranian Basij and Quds Force operatives. What is behind Iranian and Hezbollah penetration into Venezuela and other parts of South America?