Thursday Links Part 1

From Ian:

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Why Salam Fayyad Stands No Chance against Fatah by Khaled Abu Toameh

The Fatah leaders are yearning for the days of Yasser Arafat, when they were able to steal international aid earmarked for helping Palestinians. The Palestinians' problem with Fayyad is that he did not sit even one day on an Israeli prison. For them, graduating from an Israeli prisons even more important that going to any university.

Efrat Protesters: Stop Arab Rock Throwing Now

Dozens of Efrat residents, along with activists from the Women in Green group, demonstrated Wednesday afternoon at the northern entrance to Efrat in Gush Etzion. The protest, part of the effort by Judea and Samaria residents to “take back the roads” and make them safe from terrorist rock-throwers and gunmen, was attended by dozens of people who have had enough of the ongoing attacks on drivers, a spokesperson for the protesters said.

CIF Watch: Harriet Sherwood refers to jailed Palestinians who Abbas wants released as “political prisoners”

Sherwood was, intentionally or otherwise, legitimizing the Palestinian narrative which glorifies terrorists and consistently characterizes even those prisoners convicted of the most gruesome crimes as ‘victims’ of Israeli oppression.

Donnison absolves Hamas of responsibility for hair cut crackdown

Donnison’s all too obvious attempt to absolve Hamas of responsibility for this latest bout of curtailment of basic personal freedoms in the Gaza Strip once again raises serious questions regarding his ability to report on the subject of that organisation and its actions impartially.

Poll: 90.9% of Palestinians Believe Hamas and Fatah Should Reach Reconciliation Deal

A new poll released by the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center showed that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians (90.3%) believe that Hamas and Fatah should pursue national reconciliation even if this leads to the United States and Israel imposing sanctions on the Palestinian Arabs.

Hamas eyes bigger regional role

Re-elected last week, Mashaal will try to deepen ties with regional powers Qatar, Turkey and Egypt, which have already given money or political support to Hamas-run Gaza and could be conduits to the US and Europe, several leading Hamas figures said. Mashaal will also push for a power-sharing deal with his Western-backed Palestinian rival, President Mahmoud Abbas.

Egypt nabs 4 men smuggling arms and blueprints into Gaza

The suspects were captured near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip and “were attempting to smuggle blueprints and designs for Egyptian police, army and intelligence facilities,” an Egyptian security official told Ma’an News on Wednesday evening. He added that the men had ”automatic weapons, ammunition, bombs, landmines, and anti-aircraft shells.”

Report: Egyptian Army Tortured, Killed Civilians During Uprising

Egypt's armed forces participated in forced disappearances, torture and killings across the country during the 2011 uprising which led to the ousting of former President Hosni Mubarak, even as military leaders publicly declared their neutrality, according to a leaked presidential report on revolution-era crimes.

12 Hizbullah Members Killed Near Damascus

Twelve members of the Hizbullah terrorist group have been killed in an ambush near Damascus, Al Arabiya reported Tuesday, quoting sources close to the Lebanese movement.
More than 20 other Hizbullah members, part of a military brigade deployed in Syria to defend President Bashar al-Assad, were also wounded in the attack, the sources said.

We can’t designate Hezbollah a terror group, Cypriot minister says

Citing its friendship with Lebanon, Cyprus said it was unwilling to unilaterally declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization, despite the fact that a Limassol court sent a member of the Shiite group to prison for his role in a plot to kill Israelis two weeks ago.