Sunday Links

From Ian:

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Obama understands that Abbas doesn't want peace deal

"U.S. President Barack Obama understands today that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is not interested in reaching an agreement with Israel," a senior Israeli diplomatic source has said.
According to the official, a regular participant in policy-making, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is willing to make significant progress toward a peace deal, but "everybody knows" that Abbas will not allow this.

Italian Jews irked by Abbas’s honor in Naples

PA president ‘denied the Holocaust… and never distanced himself from Palestinian terrorist attacks,’ says prominent rabbi

PA’s ‘Moderate’ Fayyad Calls to Free All Terrorists

PA second-in-command says it is wrong to imprison Arabs for terrorism against Israel.
The Palestinian Authority’s outgoing Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, called Saturday to free all PA resident Arabs imprisoned in Israel. Many are serving time for terror-related offenses, including murder and attempted murder; some were imprisoned for other violent crimes including assault and rape.

Marathon as political warfare

Palestinian Olympic committee member Itidal Abdul- Ghani told The Times of Israel on April 22, a day after the race, that “Israelis weren’t welcome to join the marathon while their military occupies Palestinian lands.” Haaretz reported that a number of Israeli runners were turned back and their registration fees returned.

Connecting the dots: Hezbollah, Iran’s web of plots

As the European Union grapples with a ban of the Lebanese Shi’ite organization Hezbollah within its territory, reports emerged last week of foiled Iranian and Hezbollah terror and criminal plots against targets spanning Bulgaria, Nepal, Canada and the US.
Will the mushrooming patchwork of global terrorism push the EU to include Hezbollah in its terror list? An EU designation could deal a one-two punch to the Lebanese group and its chief proxy Iran.

Bosnia expels two Iranian diplomats

Minister of security declares Iranian embassy secretaries "persona non grata"; unclear involvement in past terrorist plots.

Richard Millett: Jon Snow lunges for my phone while I question him about his “Jewish lobby” comment.

Last night Channel 4 news presenter Jon Snow was at the London School of Economics to chair a panel of hardcore anti-Israel polemicists but as I was questioning him face to face about his own use of the term “the Jewish lobby” (Clip 1 below) he violently grabbed my mobile phone attempting to dislodge it from my hand accusing me of trying to secretly record our conversation. He then repeatedly called me “a creep” and claimed a breach of his human rights.

US, Israel plotting to oust Assad by June, Iranian official claims

Legislator in Tehran warns that American intervention would result in blowback against Jewish state

Syrian Army Ordered Chemical Weapons Use, Says Defected General

Syrian regime ordered use chemical weapons against the Free Syrian Army during select battles, a defected general told Al Arabiya.

IDF: Preparing for the unthinkable

Although millions of Israelis who are busy with the routine of daily life don’t feel it, there are 200,000 rockets and missiles pointed at the country’s population, and any future war could involve an initial onslaught of enemy projectiles.
Additionally, while the probability of a missile or terrorist attack on Israel involving unconventional weapons is very low, the threat cannot be dismissed out of hand.

This 1,000-Year-Old Minaret Was Destroyed in Aleppo Syria Last Week

With few signs of international action to stop the terrible harm to flesh and blood, we add another reminder here of the catastrophe: the great destruction to the mortar and stone of Syria's magnificent historical heritage. The minaret was built almost 1,000 years ago as part of Aleppo's Great Mosque.

Beirut bans award-winning Lebanese film shot in Israel

Doueiri dismissed the ban as "foolish and unfair", and noted that several Palestinian films shot in Israel with Israeli actors "and even with Israeli financing.. were allowed to screen in Lebanon."
"Why them and not this film? Are the Lebanese supposed to carry the Palestinian flag higher than the Palestinians themselves?" Doueiri asked.

Draining cash, Egypt on $30 billion search for aid

Egypt’s need for funds is dire. After the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak, foreign investment in Egypt shriveled and tourism — a top revenue source — took a heavy blow. Neither has recovered since, with investors and tourists still scared away by the country’s unrest and political uncertainty.

Record attendance at J'lem ANZAC Day ceremony

Aussie ambassador at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery: Peace and goodwill can flow from even the fiercest of conflicts.
It is customary for Australian and New Zealand diplomats to hold commemorative services for the ANZACs in the countries in which they served, and to pay tribute not only to them but to Australian and New Zealand Forces wherever they have served and died since.

Israel Daily Picture: Jews Celebrate Lag B'Omer This Week.

How was it commemorated 90 years ago?
Today Jews around the world are celebrating Lag B'Omer, the end of a month-long mourning period when traditional Jews refrain from weddings or joyous gatherings.