Monday Links Part 1

From Ian:

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Michael Oren: Iran’s nuclear designs are the greater Middle East threat

We will prevent these sophisticated missiles from reaching Hezbollah. We will closely monitor the movement of chemical and other game-changing weapons in Syria. Together with the United States, we will develop more advanced anti-ballistic systems. Yet we can never lose sight of the ultimate threat.
If Iran gets the bomb, so too will a number of Middle Eastern states that can pose not only regional chemical but also global nuclear threats. An Iran with military nuclear capabilities will dominate the Persian Gulf and its vast oil deposits, driving oil prices to extortionary highs. And Iran can transfer nuclear weapons to terrorists who can launch them at foreign ports in shipping containers. The entire world will be endangered.

PMW: Bullets in the enemy's chest are sweet - PA TV song


Abbas: "We don't educate our children to hate" VIDEO

Norway and other European obstacles to peace

Donors have been praising the PA for its successful preparations for statehood – its institutions and its infrastructure – but few seem to care about its ethical foundations. As funders, Norway and other countries have an opportunity and an obligation to demand the end of the PA hate and terror culture.
Attacking PMW for exposing the hatred, and not the PA for promoting the hatred, is a failure that will postpone peace for another generation.

Palestinian man (whose is definitely NOT a refugee) tipped to win Arab Idol

The Palestinian “refugee” swindle is but one of the many political derivatives from the ideologically inspired uncritical embrace of the Palestinian narrative which so often passes for serious journalism at the Guardian.
Mohammed Assaf - a Palestinian (born 42 years after the 1949 war) who lives in the Palestinian run territory of Gaza, in Khan Younis – is not, by any reasonable definition of the word, a refugee. And, the fact that Palestinians continue to hold the key to this immutable victim status illustrates a greater truth about the egregious abuse of ordinary language within the cognitive battlefields of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

Kerry Announces Plan to Boost PA Economy

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry unveils plan to boost the PA's economy by attracting $4 billion in private investment.

Peres Lauds 'Arab Initiative'

Speaking in Jordan, president says "Arab Peace Initiative" is a meaningful change and a strategic opportunity.

Jordanians Stage Walkout on Israelis at WEF

Jordanian reporters walked out en masse when Israeli journalists and officials entered the communications center at the World Economic Forum Sunday. The Forum is being held in Aqaba, Jordan.

Rock Terror Reaches Jerusalem Homes

Arabs hurl rock into living room in southern Jerusalem.

Jerusalem: Arab Arson Season Kicks Off

Every 24 hours, on average, Arab arsonists start a fire on Mount Scopus or near Abu Tor.

IAF Chief: Hezbollah Using Populated Areas for Weapons Transfers to Avoid Israeli Interceptions

During a strategic review, Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel told a group of former senior U.S. Army generals that Hezbollah is using warehouses, civilian buildings, mosques and underground storage facilities to dissuade Israel from striking at weapons it is transferring to and from Syria.

Analysis: Rocket attack on Hezbollah a turning point

The rocket attack on the Hezbollah stronghold in south Beirut marks a turning point in the Syrian war and the clearest signal yet that the conflict is likely to escalate and spread to Lebanon, already on a knife’s edge due to sectarian divisions. Shi’ite- Sunni strife in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere is manifesting itself in the Syrian civil war, dragging neighboring countries into the conflict.

Israel key to Berlin Hezbollah terror label

Israeli diplomats traveled recently to Berlin and presented court documents showing Hezbollah’s role in terrorism within the European Union.
The meticulous documentation collected by Israeli officials played a critical role in changing attitudes among German foreign ministry officials who were reluctant to include Hezbollah in the EU’s terror list.

'Assad's forces used chemical arms on rebels'

Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar Assad have repeatedly used chemical weapons against rebel fighters in Damascus, according to first-hand accounts in France's Le Monde newspaper.
The newspaper, in a report issued on its website on Monday, said one of its photographers had suffered blurred vision and respiratory difficulties for four days after an attack on April 13 on the Jobar front, just inside central Damascus.

Egypt: From Energy Exporter to Energy Basket Case

Not long ago, Egypt was an energy exporter, with Israel and Jordan eager customers for Egyptian natural gas. Now, though, Egypt can't even produce enough energy for its own needs – and the country over the past several weeks has faced rolling blackouts, with even the most upscale districts in Cairo facing 3-5 hours a day of darkness.