Friday Morning Links

From Ian:

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Barry Rubin: The Ultimate `Settlements are not the Problem’ Article

It must be a new year. The Washington Post has an editorial explaining that Israeli settlements are not the main problem in the Middle East. The Post editorial is amazing since such sanity is so rare. It begins: “Two mistaken but widely held notions regarding Israeli-Palestinian peace are that the settlements are the principal obstacle to a deal and that further construction will make a Palestinian state impossible.” 

Douglas Murray: European Court of Justice "Lacking Any Foundation in Law"

"The European Commission in recent years has been funding rabidly anti-Israel and anti-Semitic campaign groups. Parading under the banner-term of "NGOs," they have one concerted aim, which is to manipulate international opinion against Israel: Foreign government-funded subversion of a democracy."

Al-Jazeera's "Alternative Viewpoint" in Qatar's Paradise

"Recently Al-Jazeera seems to have decided to topple the Palestinian Authority [PA], and transfer to Hamas -- Al-Qaeda's ideological and practical brother-in-arms -- the international recognition that the PA received from the UN in September, and to make Hamas sovereign in the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip. To that end, it airs biased programs that are disproportionately favorable toward Hamas, and covers Hamas's "achievements," such as its "heroism" in firing rockets at Israeli civilians. The PA at least claims it wants to reach an agreement with Israel. Hamas, which uses its citizens, schools and hospitals as human shields during warfare it provokes, publicly proclaims day and night its intention to wipe Israel off the map."

Palestinian internal clashes erupt in Nablus

Government’s decision to only forgive debt for refugees angers citizens "Ramallah: Heavy clashes have erupted between the Palestinian public and their security apparatus in Nablus and the northern areas of the West Bank in protests against the Palestinian government’s decision to delete electricity debts and to financially pardon the residents of the refugee camps."

PMW: Abbas inaugurates housing project for families of terrorist prisoners

"He said that the birth of the housing project is an example and model that should be emulated in all the districts, since it represents cooperation, solidarity, and collective responsibility for confronting the challenges posed to the Palestinian nation. [He noted] that this project demonstrates loyalty to and love for the prisoners, and that they are not alone, for everyone looks forward to their return so that they may live in their homes with their families."

Honest Reporting: Most Popular Content 2012

Egyptian forces capture American-made missiles headed for Gaza Strip

Anti-tank, anti-aircraft and other rockets discovered in secret depot south of el-Arish in Sinai 

IDF Blog: 2012: Biggest IDF Events

"The year of 2012 was packed full with events and security issues. Some challenged us, like Operation ‘Pillar of Defense’, and some were devastating, such as the attack in Bulgaria which killed six Israelis. During this year, over 1,400 rockets launched from the Gaza Strip hit Israel. So here are the biggest events for the IDF in 2012"

Apple reportedly looking to buy Israeli map app Waze

iPhone maker may see local startup as solution to mapping woes; company wants $750 million, but Apple offering $400-$500 million, according to reports "Apple is rumored to be looking into buying the Israeli satellite navigation application Waze, which has become a worldwide hit thanks to its melding of crowd sourcing and traffic mapping."