Jordan to oppose PA statehood bid
June 30, 2011 | Arsen Ostrovsky
In an unexpected setback to President Abbas, the UAE-based al-Bayan newspaper has reported, that Jordan will oppose the Palestinian Authority’s bid for unilateral statehood at the United Nations, becoming the first Arab state to publicly rebuff President Abbas.
A senior official from the Hashemite kingdom said that Amman will vote against a Palestinian statehood bid at the UN, because if it succeeds:
“Jordan’s top national interests will be in danger…
What no-one knows about Fatah-Hamas unity
June 30, 2011 | Tzvi Fleischer
Following up on Daniel Meyerowitz-Katz’s earlier post which noted that Fatah and Hamas have reportedly abandoned efforts to form a unity government until September, it important to point out that such discord was more or less predicted by most knowledgeable experts…
Moreover, as Y. Yehoshua of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) recently pointed out in an important paper on the Fatah-Hamas deal, most of the details of agreement have never been made public, and remain completely unclear…
More Foxes Guarding Henhouses at the UN
June 30, 2011 | Tzvi Fleischer
The United Nations, in its infinite wisdom, has just allowed North Korea to become the chair of the U.N. Conference on Disarmament.…
This UN decision follows the election last week of Iran as one of the Vice-Presidents of the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly (with Qatar as President). Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon controversially made a statement appearing to endorse an Iranian conference on “Terrorism” where not only were the US, Britain and Israel accused of fomenting terrorism, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reportedly alleged that Washington manufactured the Holocaust and the 9/11 attacks as pretexts to put down Muslims.
Saudi proliferation fears as Iran tests missiles
June 30, 2011 | Daniel Meyerowitz-Katz
One of the strongest arguments in favour of preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons at all costs is the fear that, were Iran to develop a neclear arsenal, the balance of power in the Middle East would be severely undermined and as a result, other countries in that region would quickly start working on their own programs. This would lead to a far more dangerous world – where unstable regimes are in possession of the most devestating weapons known to humanity.
At a recent meeting in the UK, a Saudi diplomat has confirmed that…
Gaza Realities/ The Settlement Obsession
June 30, 2011
This Update features two pieces which describe the reality of the situation in Gaza – in contrast to the way it is often described by activists and even in general media reports.
First up is recent visitor to Australia Dr. Michael Rubin, who compares Gaza to a whole variety of countries around the world on a whole variety of statistical measures – and finds Gaza better off than a very large percentage of them. For instance, Gazans have a life expectancy both higher than the global average, and higher than in dozens of countries, many far from the poorest in the world. The same applies to infant mortality, while Gazans are also far from comparatively very badly off in terms of unemployment – and they actually outstrip many countries in terms of cell phone and internet use.
Taliban show Obama what they think of the troop withdrawal
June 29, 2011 | Daniel Meyerowitz-Katz
Just a few days after US President Barack Obama controversially announced a major withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have struck the Intercontinental Hotel in the heart of Kabul.The ABC has reported that at least 6 gunmen and one suicide bomber attacked the hotel and holed-up for several hours, before they were eventually taken-out by NATO helicopters. The death toll currently sits at a minumum of 10.
Witness Sayed Hussain said he was inside the hotel compound when the attack started.
“I saw five to six men in civilian clothing armed with rifles who started shooting when they entered,” he said, speaking close to the scene. “I lay down on the ground and soon after the police arrived.”
Can Iran’s nuclear ambitions be halted?
June 29, 2011
Dr. Michael Rubin was interviewed for ABC Radio’s “PM” by Stephen Long about Iran and the wider Middle East.
Peace polling improves in Post-Revolutionary Egypt
June 29, 2011 | Geoff Levin
A new study has indicated that two-thirds of all Egyptians support maintaining the Arab republic’s 1979 peace agreement with Israel.
The poll, conducted by the Egyptian government’s Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC), showed that 67% of those responding want to uphold the historic Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty signed between Anwar Sadat and Menacham Begin. Of the 1,062 respondents, only 11% want the deal entirely scrapped, 2% want some clauses removed, and 20% declined to respond. Among those surveyed, 56% said they were satisfied with the country’s current situation, and 87% plan to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
The Flotilla: Much ado about very little?
June 29, 2011 | Tzvi Fleischer
There has been a great deal written and said about the second flotilla of activists supposed to be departing for Gaza very shortly in defiance of Israel’s naval blockade.
However, an internal document from flotilla organisers published by an Israeli newspaper suggests the whole event may be something of a fizzer. According to the document, the flotilla is expected in the end to carry fewer than 300 passengers – possibly much fewer…
Jordan bashes Israel at UN for construction it approved – Australia abstains
June 29, 2011 | Allon Lee
Jerusalem has always been used as a pretext for conspiracy theories and propaganda campaigns against Israel in the Arab world. A perennial claim throughout the Arab-Israel conflict is that something Israel is doing presages the destruction of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem.
