China Is Doomed to Play a Significant Role in Afghanistan (Foreign Policy)

Iranian Mother Faces 100 Lashes for Protesting Death of Son in Demonstration - Rachael Bunyan (Daily Mail-UK)

Iran Doesn't Want a Nuclear Deal, British Spy Chief Says - Phil Stewart(Reuters)

What Reactions to the Death of Shireen Abu Akleh Reveal (Mosaic)

NBA player, human rights activist Enes Kanter Freedom to host basketball camp in Israel (All Israel News) The camp will be focused on uniting Israeli youth from different backgrounds, including Jews, Christians, Muslims and Druze

In Fight Over Lebanon's Future, Bishop's Detention After Israel Visit Crosses a Red Line (Haaretz)

Hamas Political Bureau Head Isma'il Haniya's Visit To Lebanon Sparks Criticism In Country: He Is Embroiling Lebanon In Regional Conflicts In Service Of Iran (MEMRI)

The New Old Middle Eastern Order (Foreign Affairs) Regional powers no longer believe the United States can or will act militarily to defend them. The Arab uprisings taught these autocratic leaders that Washington could not guarantee the survival of regimes that worked toward U.S. interests.

PA Losing Control of Northern West Bank to Fatah and Islamic Jihad Gunmen - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)

PA recruits and trains 100’s of child terrorists (PMW)

NGOs Exploit Children in Armed Conflict (NGO Monitor) A look at the systematic participation of Palestinian teenagers in attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers, and their involvement in violent clashes in the West Bank and Gaza. In contrast to the factual record, politicized UN Report along with Palestinian NGOs exclude the violence perpetrated by the minors, in order to fit a narrative of Israeli oppression.

ISIS groups use South Africa to channel funds, (Bloomberg)

Mehdi Hasan, Tokenism, and the Alleged Jewish Threat to Democracy (CAMERA)

HBCU president: How do we help students become more well-rounded? Israel could hold the key (The Okalahoman)

Why Are Cori Bush’s Ties To Palestinian Activist Who Tweeted About ‘Burning Israelis Alive’ Generating Zero Media Coverage? (HonestReporting)

Accurate but irresponsibly misleading Washington Post headline: "Russian and Israeli planes hit Syria in separate strikes, kill at least 10", the conflation of the two actions was irresponsibly misleading. Russia and Iran are allied in supporting Bashir Assad's brutal regime in Syria, which has used chemical weapons against its own people and is still trying to destroy Israel, while Israel was attacking chemical weapons facilities in Syria's capital, preventing their use both against Israeli and Syrian civilians. Reporting on the actions together, particularly the way they were joined in the same headline, created the blatantly false impression that there was coordination between Russia and Israel. Israeli strikes killed several soldiers. Buried later in the story we learn, Russian airstrikes killed seven civilians. 

EU, Morocco renew migration deal after Spanish border deaths (AP)

9 European countries rebuke Israel's label of Palestinian NGOs as terror groups (Israel Hayom)

India-Israel Ties Are at an All-Time High - Lev Aran and Yeshaya Rosenman (The Print-India)

Iraq’s Proposed Law To Ban Homosexuality Causes Uproar (Middle East Eye)

Israel Delivers Nine Tons of Medicines and Supplies to Ukraine (Interfax-Ukraine)

Israeli System Intercepted 24 Drones at Concerts in Italy  (Israel Defense)

Israel Okays West Bank Construction for Palestinians Ahead of Biden's Visit (Ha'aretz)

As Biden Preps for Meeting With PA Chief Abbas, AP Tars Israel While Whitewashing Palestinian Authority Crimes Against Children (Honest Reporting) 

Turkish Media Release New Images of Iranian Hit Squads Targeting Israelis (Ynet News)

 “The Drone Problem”: How the U.S. Has Struggled to Curb Turkey, a Key Exporter of Armed Drones (ProPublica)

Exclusive: United Arab Emirates set to run Kabul airport in deal with Taliban, sources say (Reuters)

U.N. deadlocked on mandate for last humanitarian corridor into Syria (Washington Post) survival food and medicine to more than 4 million people stopped on Sunday

Islamists Try to Renew Push for Ilhan Omar's Flawed "Islamophobia" Bill (IPT)

Biden in Israel: "You Don't Need to Be a Jew to Be a Zionist" (White House)

Iran's Infiltration of Latin American Politics Complicates "Aeroterror" Flight Investigations (IPT)

IDF Doesn't Use Type of Weapon that PA Claims Killed Reporter - Sean Durns (CAMERA)  not a single major Western news outlet bothered to note that the IDF doesn't even field the weapon that the PA says was used. 

Strong Opposition In Jordanian Press To Kingdom’s Participation In Regional Military Alliance With Israel (MEMRI)

Palestinian Lawyers Protest in Ramallah Against Legislation by Decree - Qassam Muaddi (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed-UK)

After years of unjustly accusing Israel of human rights abuses, Human Rights Watch has finally acknowledged that Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip systematically torture critics in detention and has called for donor countries to cut off funding to Palestinian security forces that commit such crimes and urged the International Criminal Court to investigate. Note: PMW reports, PA critic Nizar Banat’s suspected murderers sent on vacation by the PA https://palwatch.org/page/31827

NATO Family Picture in Madrid: This Will Not Be Erdoğan's Last Blackmail (Gatestone Institute)

How BBC Manipulated a Major Arab World Survey in Order to Slam Israel (Honest Reporting)

Meanwhile, at the UN...

Condemnations by UN Human Rights Council since it was founded: 0 Cuba 0 Saudi 0 China 0 Turkey 0 Taliban 0 Pakistan 0 Zimbabwe 1 Russia 2 Venezuela 10 Eritrea 12 Iran 13 Belarus 15 North Korea 26 Myanmar 37 Syria 99 Israel

U.N. Human Rights Council members now include: Pakistan—death penalty for 'blasphemers' Mauritania—has 500,000 slaves Somalia—death penalty for gays China—1 million Uyghurs in camps Venezuela—Maduro tyranny Qatar—enslaves migrants Libya—same

If you read "Unilever Cancels Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Boycott" don't get too excited. Ben & Jerry's board didn't change their minds. Unilever found a work around and sold off its Ben & Jerry’s Israeli business interests to Avi Zinger, allowing him to continue selling the ice cream in the Jewish state. See also: Honest Reporting's Ben & Jerry’s ‘Settlements’ Boycott: NYT, WaPo Cover Up Eliminationist Goal of BDS, Giving Free Pass to Orgs That Support It

PA celebrates “political victory” over EU (PMW)

US to offer Iran eased sanctions at renewed nuclear talks in Qatar (Debka)

Iraq parliament swears in new members after walkout of 73 (AP)  Iran-backed bloc is now the main force in the 329-seat parliament

Hezbollah sets up 15 posts along Lebanon-Israel border (Israel Hayom) Manned by terrorists, each post stands about 5-250 yards from the border

Pakistani army says shootout with militants killed 2 troops (AP) near the border with Afghanistan, has killed two soldiers and seven militants

Palestinian Islamic Scholar Sheikh Yousef Abu Islam: Homosexuals Should Be Thrown Off Rooftops (MEMRI) I tried to find confirmation of this on other sites, why is only MEMRI reporting this during Pride Month? Similarly, they're reporting homophobic incitement in Qatar ahead of FIFA World Cup.

Qatar fails to offer World Cup safety guarantees to LGBTQ+ fans (The Guardian)

Opinion: Shifting Sands (MediaLine)

Angry Responses On Social Media And In Arab Press To Article By Saudi Journalist 'Ali Al-Shihabi Calling To Resolve Palestinian Problem By Naturalizing Palestinians In Expanded Jordanian Kingdom That Incorporates West Bank And Gaza (MEMRI)

Strike conducted in Syria (Central Command)

Turkey: Jihad against Cyprus (Gatestone) Turkey is now using the distraction of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a cover to increase its likelihood of officially annexing Cyprus's north.

Turkey Is Trying to Shutter Its Largest Women’s Rights Group (WMC)

UN to hold new Libya talks as stalemate persists (VOA)

UNRWA’s Teachers of Hate (UN Watch) Over 120 UNRWA educators and staff have been found to promote violence and antisemitism on social media. UN Agency Suspends 6 Staff for Calling to Murder Jews (UN Watch)

UN's "Monitoring" of Abu Akleh Case Prioritizes Finding Israeli Guilt, Not the Truth (CAMERA)

While the Media Slept, a Palestinian Terrorist Group Endorsed the Antisemitic (Boston) ‘Mapping Project’ (Honest Reporting)

Middle East Professors Boycott Israel — Where’s the Moral Outrage? (Algemeiner)  

A little longer than usual. I was on vacation, but my inbox wasn't😉

Last week, Israel announced it recently foiled Iranian attempts to kidnap and attack Israeli tourists in Turkey (in one case, intercepting a couple before they returned to their hotel where assassins were waiting). Earlier came news that Iran removed 27 surveillance cameras used by the U.N. to monitor its nuclear sites, as well as a separate report that Iran is preparing a test launch of a new solid-fueled rocket. Further, Iran has executed over 100 people in the first 3 months of 2022. Now, all eyes are on President Biden in the Middle East, hoping for a strategy to contain Iran.

Taliban Abuses Continue; Afghan Women Fight Back (WMC)

Taliban frees 5 Brits (The Times) An American, Mark Frerichs, remains detained in Afghanistan.

U.S. eases immigration requirements for Afghans (VOA)

EU restarts flow of funding to Palestinians (Israel Hayom) without getting any changes to textbooks, incitement or pay-to-slay

High-Level Visit Paves Way for Deepened EU-Israeli Partnership (Brussels Times-Belgium)

Iranian Cyberwar Grows Aggressive with Russia and Hizbullah's Help - Maria Zuppello (Investigative Project on Terrorism)

Trends in Iranian External Assassination, Surveillance, and Abduction Plots - Dr. Matthew Levitt (Combating Terrorism Center at West Point)

Iraq Makes It Illegal to Normalize Ties with Israel (Reuters-Times of Israel)     See also U.S. Condemns Iraqi Parliament's Anti-Israel Normalization Law (U.S. State Department)     See also UK Urges Baghdad to Repeal Law that Says Any Iraqi Contacting Israel Faces Death - Richard Ferrer (Jewish News-UK)

A little background history on the Farhund: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-farhud

Israel Issues 20,000 Additional Work Permits to West Bank Palestinians - Yossi Yehoshua (Ynet News)

Israel Preparing to Defend New Offshore Gas Rig from Hizbullah Attack  (Times of Israel)     See also Singapore-Built Gas Rig Crosses Suez Canal on Way to Israel - Nermina Kulovic (Offshore Energy)

Report: Lebanon Drops Claims on Karish Gas Field - Danny Zaken (Globes) 

Mysterious Blast Leads PA to "Hamas Bomb Plot"  (JNS)

Palestinian Forces Assault Student Protesters at An-Najah University in West Bank - Shatha Hammad (Middle East Eye-UK)

Hamas Security Forces Forcibly Evict 40 Palestinian Families from Gaza Village - Sally Ibrahim (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed-UK)

Palestinian mob tried to hijack Shireen Abu Akleh's funeral so it would not be “as if a Christian died”  (Palestinian Media Watch)

Cops by day, terrorists by night - the PA Security Forces’ double role (Palestinian Media Watch) A new video released by Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party reiterates that the US-trained and funded PA Security Forces fulfill a double role: Cops by day and terrorists by night. 

Pakistani TV Anchor Fired after Visiting Israel (Arab News-Pakistan)

U.S. Military Raid in Syria Captures Top ISIS Leader - Luis Martinez (ABC News)

After Israeli Warning, Thailand on High Alert for Iranian Terrorists (Times of Israel)

Turkish Mayor Addresses Syrians: 'Our Youth Are Unemployed, Our Families Are Living Under The Poverty Line... We Have No Bread Or Water To Share With You... You Are No Longer Wanted – Go Back To Your Country!' (MEMRI)

Turkish Foreign Minister on First Official Visit to Israel in 15 Years (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Where Was the Media When an Independent Investigation Found Amnesty Int’l to Be ‘Institutionally Racist’? (Honest Reporting)

BBC News Erases PFLP From Lod Airport Massacre (CAMERA UK)  I didn't know about this link between:  ‘Japanese Red Army founder Shigenobu' and the PFLP terrorists. Did you?

Britain: The Cause of Advancing Human Rights "Is Not Served by the Disproportionate Focus on Israel"  (UK Foreign Office)
"The UK has been clear that we oppose the open-ended nature of the Commission of Inquiry on the situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza and its vaguely defined mandate. The cause of advancing human rights in Israel and the...Palestinian Territories is not served by the disproportionate focus on Israel." 

Meanwhile at the UN...

North Korea was to Head UN Conference on Disarmament and China was elected to the board of WHO Executive Board. WHO singled out Israel as a violator of Health Rights in a resolution submitted by Syria.  Russia, which bombs hospitals and schools in Syria, is drafting U.N. Security Council resolution to condemn Israel for striking Damascus airstrip to stop Iranian smuggling of missiles to Hezbollah. And the UN Human Rights Council's Commission of Inquiry released its report erasing Israel's security concerns and ignoring Palestinian aggression/terrorism.

UN Clash: PLO Fails to Silence British Commander Blasting Anti-Israel Pillay Commission (UN Watch Video)

Boston BDS "Mapping Project" Targets Synagogues and Jewish Schools - Jonathan S. Tobin (JNS)    see also  Hiding Behind Buzzwords: How BDS Spreads its Anti-Israel Agenda (Honest Reporting) To understand how alarming this is, read this letter to the editor by my friend Richard.

U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Stop Longtime Ann Arbor Synagogue Protesters - Andrew Lapin   (JTA) Attorney Nathan Lewin told JTA: "I am shocked and dismayed that the Supreme Court and the court of appeals view anti-Semitic picketing timed and designed to harass and intimidate Jews only when they come to pray - clearly protected by the First Amendment's Religion Clause - as free speech that may not be curtailed."

U.S. Leak on Israel's Role in Iranian Colonel's Death Could Harm Trust - Lazar Berman (Times of Israel) 

MSNBC's Ayman Mohyeldin Hides the Facts (CAMERA)