The coronavirus has gutted the price of coca. It could reshape the cocaine trade. - Anthony Faiola and Lucien Chauvin (Washington Post) 

New Zealand And Seven Other Nations Beating COVID-19 Odds - Kati Bohmbach (Worldcrunch)

Dozens Wounded in Beirut Clashes amid Calls to Disarm Hizbullah (AFP-Arab News-Saudi Arabia)

Palestinian Prisoners Day misleads students worldwide (JNS) 

PA calls for murder of Jews in suicide bombings and stabbings to restore honor -  Nan Jacques Zilberdik and Itamar Marcus (PMW)

Palestinians Again Refuse Planeload of Virus Aid from UAE (AFP-Barron's)

Russian Air Defense Systems Outmatched by Turkish Drones in Syria and Libya - Seth Frantzman (Long War Journal)

Syrian Druze Protesters Call for Assad's Overthrow - Suleiman Al-Khalidi (Reuters)

The Iraqi battalion of ISIS members working for “Ahrar Al-Sharqiayyah” and Turkish intelligence (Syria Observatory of Human Rights)

The Palestinian appropriation of black pain - Joshua Washington (Times of Israel)

BDS Hijacks the Murder of George Floyd - Zina Rakhamilova (Honest Reporting - Videos) see also: HonestReporting CEO Daniel Pomerantz Discusses George Floyd and BDS

Los Angeles Times Fabricates Findings of Investigation Into Killing of Autistic Palestinian - Tamar Sternthal (CAMERA)

Egyptian, Russian FMs warn of annexation’s ‘perils,’ call for two-state solution - Aaron Boxerman (Times of Israel)

Iranian-Backed Iraqi Shiite Militia Operates in Gaza (Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center)

Iran's Shifting Posture in Syria (Soufan Center-Cipher Brief)

Hope, Healing and Media in the Shadow of George Floyd - Daniel Pommerantz (Honest Reporting) How do we read past hype, bias and personal agendas to form our own clear picture of what's happening in the US? And why are Palestinians trying to attach themselves to George Floyd's story?

Five Arrested in Jordan after Foiled Suicide Attacks Against Israel (AFP-Al-Arabiya)

Conciliation of the Century between Jordan and Saudi Arabia - Nadav Shragai (Israel Hayom) Jordan's current about-face may stem from its tardy realization of Erdogan's growing power in eastern Jerusalem. 

Lebanese Demand Bread, Hizbullah Offers Fantasies - Baria Alamuddin (Arab News-Saudi Arabia) by training and arming anti-state insurgents in Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Syria, Hizbullah objectively poses a far more immediate threat to Arab regional stability than to Israel. 

Russia Recruiting Syrian Mercenaries to Fight in Libya (Daily Sabah-Turkey)

British Mercenaries Offered $150,000 to Fly Helicopters for Gen. Haftar in Libya - Gareth Browne (Telegraph-UK)

Norway to Withhold Funding to Palestinians over Textbooks Promoting Hate and Violence - Marcy Oster (JTA)

PA death worship: A mother is proud of her child's death for Allah - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW)

Qatar's Al Jazeera Broadcasts Islamist Cleric's Appeal to "Kill the Jews" (MEMRI-TV)

Palestinians in Turkey: What Erdogan Says vs. What Erdogan Does  - Khaled Abu Toameh (Gatestone)

BDS Co-Founder (Omar Barghouti)Says Goal Is End of Israel (JNS)

Recent Developments Highlight Enduring Jihadist Threat to the United States (IPT News)

Are you leaving your homes? Are you wearing masks when going out? 

“If 80% of Americans Wore Masks, COVID-19 Infections Would Plummet, New Study Says.” The study asserts that use of facemasks reduces transmission of viruses by airborne droplets. Don’t be embarrassed to wear a mask. It is a sign of care and respect for those around you, not a sign of weakness—a lesson that the White House just realized this week.

Australian Government Tells ICC: Palestine Is "Not a State" - Ben Doherty (Guardian-UK)  Australia's position is that the question of Palestinian statehood cannot be resolved before a negotiated peace settlement. 

Iraq On The Path Of National Recovery From Iranian Hegemony - Yigal Carmon, S. Ali (MEMRI) 

Israel Develops Coronavirus Test Producing Results in One Minute - Celia Jean (Jerusalem Post)

Washington Lobbyists Duke It Out Over Libya's Civil War - John Rossomando (IPT News)

How Turkey Shifted the Air War in the Battle for Tripoli - Ben Fishman and Conor Hiney (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)

Jordan's Constitutional Court Rules Parliament Can't Cancel Gas Deal with Israel - Tzvi Joffre (Jerusalem Post)

Palestinian Authority TV repeatedly plays song that urges suicide-terror against Israel  - Itamar Marcus and Nan Jacques Zilberdik (PMW) 

Internal Hamas Tensions May Prevent a Prisoner Release Deal with Israel - Pinhas Inbari (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)  

Amnesty breaks silence on jailed Gaza peace activist, declares Rami Aman a ‘prisoner of conscience’ (UN Watch) 

Forces in Eastern Syria Move to Block Tehran-Beirut Corridor (Asharq Al-Awsat-UK) 

In Syria, Russia Is Turning Against Iran and Assad - Jeremy Hodge (Daily Beast)

Congress Calls to End ICC Investigations of U.S., Israel - Adam Kredo  (Washington Free Beacon)

U.S. to Israel: No More Chinese Deals - Arie Egozi (Breaking Defense) FYI China accounts for about 3% of Israel's foreign aid.

What's with The New York Times?

NYT Social Media Post: Israeli Soldier Killed by “Rock” - Emanuel Miller (Honest Reporting) Rocks don’t hit people by themselves, just as car don’t drive into people of their own volition. Not directly and clearly referring to this as a lethally violent act is inexcusable from reporters of any level...

New York Times Favors Palestinian Narrative on Payments to Terrorists - Gilead Ini (CAMERA)

Seven unit rotations to Afghanistan, Iraq and Europe announced - Kyle Rempfer (Army Times)

Opposing an IMF Loan to Iran - Patrick Clawson (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)

Iraq’s President on the Coronavirus, the U.S.-Iran Relationship, and His Country’s Political and Economic Future (Asia Society/Video)

PBS's Rick Steves Travelogues Trip Over Israel - Sean Durns, Myron Kaplan (CAMERA)

Technion Researchers Create Rapid Home Testing Kit for Coronavirus (Times of Israel) 

Ben-Gurion U Researchers Developing Coronavirus Test that Is 8 Times Faster (Ben-Gurion University)

Hizbullah Suffers Blow to Funding from Iran amid Pandemic - Thomas Harding (The National-Abu Dhabi)  Hizbullah is set to lose 40% of its income from Iran after the dramatic fall in oil prices...But the group's financing has become so sophisticated that it can rely on significant income from activities in Europe through fundraising that includes fake orphanages.

Libya accuses Russia’s Wagner Group of using chemical weapon (Middle East Monitor)

In the Covid-19 Pandemic, What Are the Reciprocal Israeli and Palestinian Obligations? - Amb. Alan Baker (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

Palestinian Lies Never Die; Wikipedia and Google Keep Them Alive - Phyllis Chesler (IPT)

Pakistan repatriating thousands of citizens from UAE (Radio Free Europe)

UAE Migrant Workers Left Stranded by COVID-19 Job Losses - Katie McQue (The Guardian)

Virus traps, sickens foreign laborers in Gulf Arab states (The Mining Jounral)

In honor of Yom HaShoah:

Correcting the Record on Holocaust Denial & Distortion (WJC Webtalks)

Millions of Documents on Nazi Victims, Survivors Now Online - Jacob Judah (Jewish Chronicle)

From March 27

If like me, many of your meetings are migrating to Zoom, Google Hangouts, and What's App, beware: ‘Zoombombing:’ Internet trolls are hijacking video conferences hosted by Zoom, a platform that has soared in popularity amid the coronavirus outbreak. For instance, mischief makers are hopping on public Zoom calls and screen-sharing hardcore pornography to unwitting participants. (NYT)

Afghan officials say 25 killed in Kabul attack on Sikhs - Tameen Akhgar and Rahim Faiez (AP)

Danes Charge Man in Plot to Kill Iranian Opposition Member  (AP-ABC News) A 40-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian descent has been charged with helping Iranian intelligence to carry out a plot on Danish soil to kill an Iranian opposition activist, Prosecutor Lise-Lotte Nilas said Wednesday. Nilas said it was "completely unacceptable that foreign intelligence services plan killings on Danish soil, and it is unacceptable that people help foreign intelligence services operate in Denmark." 

Egyptian General Dies of Coronavirus  (Jerusalem Post)

Iran Leader Refuses U.S. Help, Citing Virus Conspiracy Theory  (AP-Politico)

Israel’s Double Curse—Politics and the Pandemic - Neri Zilber (Foreign Policy) A Supreme Court decision threatens Netanyahu’s grip on power and augurs a constitutional crisis. SEE ALSO Former MK Dov Lipman Explains Israel’s Unprecedented Constitutional Crisis - Zina Rakhamilova (Honest Reporting video) Filmed before Yuli Edelstein announced his resignation as Knesset speaker

Unity Government Forming in Israel in Response to Coronavirus Crisis - Raoul Wootliff (Times of Israel)

Coronavirus Crisis Increases Israeli-Palestinian Cooperation - Amos Harel (Ha'aretz)

Europe Reaches Libya Breakthrough With Naval Mission Deal - Nikos Chrysoloras (Bloomberg) goal of the mission --  is to help end fighting between the government of Fayez al-Sarraj, Libya’s United Nations-backed prime minister, and his rival, General Khalifa Haftar

Three Palestinians Arrested for Torching Refugee Camp on Greek Island - Benjamin Weinthal (Jerusalem Post)

Imam on Hamas TV: This Virus Is a Soldier of Allah; Muslims Are the Least Affected  (MEMRI-TV)

Most Palestinians Want to Work with Israel Against Coronavirus, though Nearly Half Think It Is Deliberately Spread - David Pollock (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)

Situation deteriorates for Syrian women and girls (WMC)

Conflict in the Time of Coronavirus: Russia, Turkey, and the Battle for Syria (CEPA) video roundtable with experts

Note: The Syrian civil war is in it's 10th yr. 900,000 in Idlib and only 60 hospital beds. 4 million refugees in Turkey. 

Meanwhile this is a US response to COVID-19 (bold is my emphasis): DOJ seeks new emergency powers amid coronavirus pandemic -Betsy Woodruff Swan (Politico) The Justice Department has reportedly asked Congress for the ability to ask chief judges to detain people indefinitely without trial during emergencies, as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States surpassed 33,000 over the weekend. Documents detail the department’s requests to lawmakers on a host of topics, including the statute of limitations, asylum, and the way court hearings are conducted. Another proposal seeks the authority to extend deadlines on merger reviews and prosecutions. It would allow the DOJ and its sister agency, the Federal Trade Commission, to add 15 days onto merger timelines during emergencies, such as disease outbreaks, natural disasters, or government shutdowns. Norman Reimer, Executive Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, warned, “You could be arrested and never brought before a judge until they decide that the emergency or the civil disobedience is over. I find it absolutely terrifying.”

Americans Beware: Trump Could Emulate Netanyahu’s Coronavirus Coup - Chemi Shalev (Haaretz)

In NY Times Op-Ed, Pandemic a Pretext to Attack Israel, Deny Terrorism - Gilead Ini (CAMERA)Defense Contractor's Arrest Exposes Another Element in Hizballah's U.S. Infrastructure (IPT News)

 "It is understandable if you are feeling unsettled or anxious. It has been a hundred years since modern society has experienced significant dislocation due to an epidemic." - Robert Hubbell

Foreign Policy’s best coronavirus coverage is free for everyone. Check out their daily podcast: Don't Touch Your Face

Jewish Journal also has a podcast. Checkout their Pandemic Times

For more information on COVID-19 be sure to visit CDC.gov. See Coronavirus.gov

Hospitals still need blood for emergency surgeries! Visit www.redcrossblood.org to find a blood drive near you.

“Staying Safe and Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” by Gary W. Small, M.D., UCLA - great info and links to exercise and livecams!

Austrian Parliament Urges Chancellor to Clamp Down on Hizbullah - Benjamin Weinthal (Jerusalem Post)

ISIS tells terrorists to steer clear of coronavirus-stricken Europe - Aitor Hernandez Morales (Politico) Terror group advises hand washing rather than attacks on the West. 

Would a Zionist coronavirus cure be Halal? Iranian cleric says yes (Jerusalem Post)

Journalist for Tehran Regime Mouthpiece Mocked for Saying He’d Rather Get Coronavirus Than Use Israeli Vaccine (Algemeiner)

More than 32,000 Coronavirus Patients in Iran Hospitals - Maryam Sinaiee (Radio Farda)

Israel's Teva Donates Potential Coronavirus Treatment to U.S. Hospitals (Jerusalem Post)  Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva has announced it will donate more than 6 million doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets to hospitals across the U.S.  Also note:   FDA said that it had not approved the malaria drug for Covid-19, and that approval was a “year away."

Israeli Researchers Develop Corona Test for People without Symptoms - Celia Jean (Jerusalem Post)

Video from Honest Reporting - view of Jerusalem during Coronavirus crisis (plenty of toilet paper on the shelves and using terrorism fighting tools to fight virus spread).

Coronavirus, Europe and Israel - Prof. Eyal Zisser (Israel Hayom)

Jordan Army Closes Off Capital Amman - Suleiman Al-Khalidi (Reuters)

Concern Mounts over Coronavirus Outbreak in Syria - Mariya Petkova (Al Jazeera)

NY Times Shows How Framing Slants Coverage (CAMERA)

Caroline B. Glick, Israel Hayom:  When you read the Trump plan closely, you realize it is a mirror image of Oslo. Rather than Israel being required to prove its good will, the Palestinians are required to prove their commitment to peace.

The U.N.’s Anti-Israel Blacklist: Myths & Facts on the “Settlements Database” (UN  Watch)

The Netherlands Criticizes UN Council's "One-Sided, Anti-Israel" Attitude - Janene  Pieters (NL Times-Netherlands)

BDS Wins But Palestinians Lose (Ynet News) The UN Human Rights Council, which on Wednesday published a blacklist of companies operating in the West Bank, voted to accept 18 resolutions condemning Israel in 2019; in contrast, just seven resolutions were passed condemning the entire ills of the rest of the world. 

The Continuum of Endless Wars 2001-2020  (Center for National Security) "What's fascinating to me is that where we are in Afghanistan is exactly the same place today as at the end of Obama’s presidency."

Ecuador Arrests Iranians Travelling With Fake Israeli Passports (Aawsat News)

Iran Military Chief: Liberation of Jerusalem No. 1 Priority of Muslim World (Press TV-Iran)

Israelis Under Attack, Media MIA - Daniel Pomerantz (Honest Reporting)

Islamic Jihad Keeps Firing Rockets at Israel from Gaza (Jerusalem Post)

Occupied Elsewhere: Selective Policies on Occupations and Territorial Disputes  - Svante Cornell and Brenda Shaffer (Foundation for Defense of Democracies)

Syrian Opposition Media Reveals Information on Missiles of Iranian Militias in Syria (MEMRI)

600,000 Syrians in Rebel-Held Areas Flee toward Turkish Border after Government Offensive - Liz Sly (Washington Post)  Syrian troops are now within seven miles of the city of Idlib, home to about 900,000 people who could join the exodus. Relentless Syrian and Russian airstrikes target towns behind the front lines to clear out the civilian population ahead of troop advances. Syrian government forces have been joined in recent weeks by Iranian-backed fighters from Lebanon's Hizbullah and other non-Syrian militias, according to U.S. officials. 

Guardian Suggests Palestinian 9/11 Celebrations is 'Far-Right' Fake News - Adam Levick (CAMERA's UK Media Watch) In what is meant to be an exposé about "fake news," the Guardian circulates some fake news of its own.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib still hasn’t apologized for pushing a blood libel against Jews - Aaron Kliegman (New York Post)

Trump is no friend of Israel, even if he says otherwise - Jackson Diehl (Washington Post)

I was cleared for release from Guantánamo three years ago. Why am I still here  - Abdul Latif Nasser (Boston Globe) Can it be that I am still imprisoned here because of a tweet your president sent before he took office,” writes Abdul Latif Nasser in the Boston Globe. “Has the world forgotten me? Has Morocco? There are five of us among the last 40 prisoners here, cleared for release but not free to go. It costs the United States $13 million per year to keep each of us here. And for what? It is such a waste. The reality is that in Guantánamo we are only half alive. I struggle. I do my best. But I will remain among the living dead until I finally get home to those I love.”

Security Assistance in the Middle East: A Three-Dimensional Chessboard - Robert Springborg, F.C. "Pink" WIlliams, John Zavage (Carnegie Middle East Center)