New York Post Oil vs. Israel

Time Israel: Now, More than Ever, Fascinated By Netanyahu

Newsweek  Book: ‘The Arab Lobby: The Invisible Alliance That Undermines America’s Interests in the Middle East’

New York Daily News Peace is up to Palestinians: Unchecked Hamas terrorists could derail Mideast talks

The Washington Post Facebook and social media offer the potential of peace

Toronto Star Silence spoke volumes during Mideast talks

The New York Times Syria’s Solidarity With Islamists Ends at Home

AFP Israel’s Barak to make 24-hour visit to Russia

AP Iran could strike Israeli nuclear site if attacked

Arab News US and the lobby

Arab News 250,000 attend Al-Aqsa prayers

CNN Iranian opposition leader kept from anti-Israel rallies

Der Spiegel An Unsettled Issue: Israeli Settlement Construction Booms Despite Ban

The Irish Times Islamist groups attempt to derail Middle East talks

Today’s Zaman Expert: Turkey’s national security under threat if wiretapping claims true

The Globe and Mail Sometimes it’s only hard men who can make peace

Financial Times Israel will respond if the world confronts Hamas

The Christian Science Monitor Why most Palestinians don’t support Israeli-Palestinian talks – or another intifada

Los Angeles Times Arab states pressing for IAEA controls over Israel nuclear program

The Washington Post Israel and Palestine: A true one-state solution

The Wall Street Journal Want Middle East Peace? Deny Iran Nukes

The Daily Star Lebanese Shiite cleric arrested in Syria over spying for Israel

The Jewish Week Another Birthday For Gilad Shalit

The Jewish Week A Fly on the Wall

Forward Conversion Crisis or Marriage Problem? — An Exchange

The Jewish Press The Delusional Mr. Abbas

The Jewish Exponent Hope on the Horizon

The Jewish Chronicle (Pittsburgh) C’mon Shas, police yourselves

Washington Jewish Week Where’s the outrage?

The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles The battle for Israel

New Jersey Jewish News Conservative pro-Israel group targets Rep. Holt

The Australian Jewish News Israel’s battle on our doorsteps

The first problem, which was downplayed by the conflicting sides as an isolated incident, despite the deaths, burning and destruction, has developed into a greater controversy with regards to the call launched by political forces to make Beirut a weapons free zone. Hezbollah has refused this [call], stating that their deputies and officials are the weapons of resistance across Lebanon. A Hezbollah member asked: “Do you want regions like the principality of Monaco, [designed] for tourism, summer activities, and gambling, and other [regions] for war?”

It has been acknowledged that the clash at Burj Abi Haidar, as indicated by the evidence, was the result of a personal dispute that got out of hand. Yet other aspects of the evidence, such as the sudden spread of dozens of gunmen, and the nature of the weapons used in the firefight, in the middle of a residential area at the centre of the capital, which has recently become popular with international tourists, strengthens the call for the disarmament of Beirut.

There is a well known fact which no one can deny, namely that the proliferation of weapons in the hands of unorganized, or even organized militia, ultimately creates a state of chaos. Some resort to arms to achieve personal goals, whilst others seek political and factional ones. There have been previous examples of this, the most notable of which was the descent of Hezbollah gunmen upon Beirut before the Doha agreement.

Therefore, no state that values its sovereignty with regards to both the outside world and its own citizens, would allow the presence of weapons in the hands of those that are neither security forces nor military personnel. This is an essential part of the social contract underlying the safety of society and the State, and to waive this contract opens the door for outside parties to intervene. More importantly, the State, despite its prestige and authority, appears weak in the eyes of citizens.

Lebanon is a special case, and all [Lebanese] political factions recognize this. Thus, even those who completely oppose the existence of weapons outside the hands of the state are satisfied with the disarmament of the capital alone, without talking about the rest of the country. This demand seems logical. Why should [rebel] groups and militias be armed with weapons in the heart of residential areas, and among civilians and ordinary people, except if such weapons were part of the internal political process? This is a fact of the matter that everyone knows, yet they avoid raising it for fear of [setting off] an explosion of problems.

The paradox is that while those concerned are busy talking about arms, the issue of electricity, which is a basic necessity affecting people’s lives and the local economy, is seen as a much lower priority in terms of national interests and the national agenda. It is used as a political tool by some against their opponents, but the solution is simply investment, money, stability, and a peaceful atmosphere in order to build power stations. Or perhaps the following slogan should be promoted: “Instead of buying weapons buy electricity!”

By Ali Ibrahim, ASharq AlAwsat

Friend N˚1 Egypt: “You know in Alexandria we love Hash and everyone knows that the Moroccan Hash is the best. I always dream to go to Morocco to try it firsthand, and off course you have very very beautiful liberal girls (very liberal in Egypt mean Prostitute)”

Friend N˚2 Jordan: “You are very famous with the Couscous, the belly dancers, and you have a king like us but you kiss his hand!”

Friend N˚3 Syria: “Morocco is known for Magic craft, they say you have the best sheikhs ever who can solve anything. You have nice jewelry and lots of problems with the poor people of the Western Sahara”

Friend N˚4 Saudi Arabia: “You should educate your girls, they are all, I am sorry to say that, acting against God and against Islam and many of them are prostitutes. But I am fun of your traditional cloths and of your skills in Magic. How do you do that? Do you get any special education on Magic Craft?”

Friend N˚5 Palestine: “You sent us many Jews and frankly speaking and don’t take it personally, you are a country which support Zionism and you stand against the right of people to determine their fate in Western Sahara”

And it went on and on and on…

Nothing surprising about the reactions I received especially that I chose people who don’t know me very well and who ignore that I can get very irritated about the image of my country when it comes to exaggerated stereotypes. The truth is that I tried to stay very diplomatic all this years while explaining how much Morocco is an amazing country and that what they talk about are cultural aspects  of the Moroccan identity blablablabla. Today I decide not to be diplomatic anymore and to respond to what they accuse us of:

I am a Prostitute

From my boyfriend who thinks I am constantly cheating on him, to all the taxi drivers who sexually harass me when they know I am Moroccan, to the police men in Jordan airport who refused that I enter the country because Morrocan females under 34 are considered public danger, to the men who come at night nock on my hotel door during civil society events hoping that I will open with a red underwear and invite them to come in. I say wake up and see the reality!

Moroccan women are more honorable than many oriental manipulative little girls who practice superficial sex, anal sex to preserve their virginity and bay a Chinese spear virginity in case they lose it, and still they will act like virgin Mary “Achraf mini Echaraf Mafiich”. At least we are honest, we assume our bodies. If we choose to be virgin until marriage it is a free choice and if we choose to lose it we don’t find ourselves a corrupted gynecologist to sew it. We don’t hide behind tiny veils and wear the “Spanish” hijjab with a mini skirt, tight leggings and 5 kilos of makeup. When we choose to wear the veil it is in general by conviction and decent, and when we choose to show our golden bodies we show them proudly as a master piece.

Many people who make all this fuzz about Moroccan prostitutes, never met a Moroccan girl before in their lives and when they do they die out of frustration to date her of marry her. I toured very well in the Arab region to say that every country have its prostitutes and some countries even have neighborhoods full of prostitutes mostly local ones, not to mention the famous 5 km Al Haram Street with all the beautiful belly dancing shops.

I don’t want to be vulgar or to hurt anyone. I know that most Arab women in all Arab country are very brave, proud, beautiful, respectful mothers, sisters, daughters and friends. As I personally met many Moroccan prostitutes in the planes to Gulf countries seeking for jobs. So this is just warning to think about the stereotypes you have about us, and after all there are 17 million Moroccan women in the world, do you know them all?

I am a Witch

Not mentioning that no one in my family or direct friends in Morocco believe even in Magic Craft. I just want to say that most probably the people I meet in the Arab world know much more about the subject than my whole town. I have been asked many times by colleagues, friends and even by my hair dresser to bring them strange staff that I don’t know even how to pronounce!

During my whole international career, I heard rumors about me that I made a special spell on my boss to get promoted, that I wear a special magical square to attract men, and that I read a special prayer to make people obey me! The reality is that I have been bleeding without reason for two years, have been unlucky in love, and jumping from one job to another without reason… so if I know the way to cure all this I would have done it longue time ago, and even if I know it I will not because of my faith in God and in the fact that certain boundaries should not be crossed in metaphysics.

We do have schools to teach Magic Craft supported by the state like “Sidi Zouin”, we do have saints that are known to control humans and djins like “Bouya Omar”, we are still a land where miraculous healings happen and where people are very superstitious. Yet, this is nothing but the traces of the paganistic believes and Jewish mysticism before Islam. Magical symbols are living with us in our carpets, jewelry and furniture like in any important civilization. As the Egyptians are proud of their pyramids and hieroglyphs (which are magical by the way), we as well we try to keep some of our heritage alive.

I am a Drug Addict

No one can deny that Moroccan Hash is the best from the US to the Nederland and from Alexandria to Istanbul, nor that we are a mass producing country of this strong hallucinogen, but this doesn’t mean that we consume it with our mothers’ milk since birth, and that it is available everywhere on the closest Carrefour supermarket.

What people ignore is that we are far more open minded about consuming alcohol than about consuming Hash, except from in some town in the north where the Chira Plant that produces Hashish is more or an ancestral agriculture like any other.

My grandfather is 67 years old and he used to work in the police and he told me that he never saw hash in his life until 1976 when they arrested some drug dealers. At the same time in secondary school I saw myself some of my classmates eating a chocolate mixed with Hash called “Lma3joun”, but this doesn’t make it socially accepted or a normal product to use in everyday’s life.

I am Zionist

Yes we used to be a Jewish kingdom under Al Kahina until the arrival of Islam, Yes we had an important Ashkenazi and Sephardim Jews, Yes 20% of Israel’s Jews are Moroccans, but what does that really mean? All Arab countries had a Jewish community, people who were born and grow up in that country and didn’t knew any other until they chose to leave or were kicked out like dirty pigs. And just for your information out of 30 millions of the Moroccan population there is only 10.000 Moroccan Jews left. And we are very proud of our compatriots from the Jewish confession like other Arab countries are proud of their Christian compatriots (which we don’t have by the way).

A big confusion between being Jewish and being Zionist exist in the mind of Arabs with a sparkle of conspiration theory. Even if Moroccan Jews who choose to stay in Morocco are all against Zionism and many of them in official meetings declare supporting the Palestinian cause.

What is even more choking about this is the fact that we are labeled of a betrayal we didn’t even participate in! We don’t even have diplomatic relations with Israel, not like many Arab states who have Embassies and military and diplomatic representation. Most of the people in Egypt for example ignore that the fruits they are eating this Ramadan is made in Israel and the flowers they are offering on Valentine’s day are made in Israel.

I know we are geographically very far (it takes me halve ½ hour to go to Spain and 5 hours to come to Cairo), we are also emotionally far as I care more about the elections in France than I care about the successor of Hosni Mubarak, but still we have common history, common language. We watch your series during Iftar and you eat our couscous with sugar during Suhur. So why don’t we concentrate on the common and confess that we both were wrong. You didn’t make an effort to understand our culture, and we were too busy to impress the west that we forgot our Arab soul.

Written by Sarra Zaaimi on Morocco on board

Paris will provide the pledged military equipment for the preservation of civil peace and the promotion of national institutions, the pan-Arab Ash-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper said. “Lebanon needs a strong army and France promised to help provide weapons and intends to fulfill its promise … its commitment to Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence and stability,” the daily quoted one unidentified official French source as saying.

LAF deploy in Beirut, August 24th, 2010.

France is scheduled to deliver 100 anti-tank missiles to Lebanon, but a US politician on Friday publicly asked that France not honor its commitment out of fear that the weapons could be used against Israeli forces.

“The influence of Hizbullah militants and their Iranian and Syrian backers in the Lebanese government is rising,” US Representative, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement.

“Therefore, to sell weapons to Lebanon at this time would be very irresponsible, and could jeopardize security and stability in the region.”

“France should do the responsible thing and cancel this sale unless and until the Lebanese government takes the steps necessary to root out extremists from its own ranks and disarm Hizbullah,” she said.

Israeli pressure for the US and France to cease supplying Lebanon with arms escalated following the August 3 Adaysseh incident in which two LAF soldiers, one Lebanese journalist and an Israeli officer were killed.

On August 2, a day before the deadly clashes, US Congressman Howard Berman, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, placed a hold on hold $100 million in aid to Lebanon’s military. He was later joined by a string of other politicians, forcing the Obama administration to officially review the aid which had already been allocated.

Although the French officially resisted calls to halt the aid, issuing a statement stressing France’s determination to proceed with its military cooperation with Lebanon on August 12, reports emerged last week that France too had decided to shelve its military assistance.

Sitting a well-informed source, the Asharq al-Awsat on Friday claimed that the sales would be halted due to “confusion” from the Lebanese authorities and not because it “came under pressure” from Israel and the US.

This conflicts with a previous statement by French Foreign Ministry assistant spokeswoman Christine Fages which said that while France was awaiting a final report by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on the Adaysseh incident, it was determined to abide by the agreement of cooperation signed with Lebanon in 2008.

UNIFIL concluded its report last week and verified earlier conclusions that the tree, which was at the center of the border clashes, was actually located inside Israeli territory.

Sunday’s reports from Asharq al-Awsat also noted that Paris had shown disapproval of the way Lebanese authorities dealt with this key issue amid a lack of communication and consensus amongst its political leadership.

Lebanon’s top political leaders seem to be unfamiliar with the details, the paper quoted a French source as saying.

Regardless of the doubts, however, the source believed that “the quantity of these missiles cannot change anything in the balance of power, which blatantly tips toward Israel” and therefore did not warrant just cause for canceling the military aid.

News reports earlier this year indicated that the French Defense Minister, Herve Morin, had informed his Lebanese counterpart Elias Murr he was “ready” to supply Lebanon with 100 high subsonic optical remote-guided fired from tube, or “hot” missiles. The long-range, anti-tank rockets are designed to arm the French-made Gazelle army helicopters used by the LAF.

Whether or not the American aid will be delivered remains uncertain. A visiting US diplomat last week reportedly assured Prime Minister Saad Hariri and LAF commander General Jean Kahwaji that the aid would be delivered.

The US acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, Jacob Walles, said this would happen despite the recent hold-ups in Congress, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported on Friday.

The New York Times For Once, Hope in the Middle East

There are four factors that distinguish the direct talks that will get under way on Sept. 2 in Washington from previous attempts — factors that offer some reason for optimism.

The New York Times Op-Ed Contributor – Hamas, the I.R.A. and Us

“We had about 700 days of failure and one day of success” — the day in 1998 that the Belfast Agreement instituting power-sharing between pro-British unionists and Irish nationalists was signed.  Mr. Mitchell’s comparison is misleading at best. Success in the Irish talks was the result not just of determination and time, but also a very different United States approach to diplomacy.

The Wall Street Journal A Palestinian Victory

The dirty little secret of the Arab world is that it has consistently treated Palestinians living in its midst with contempt and often violence

For six decades, Palestinians have been forced by Arab governments to live in often squalid conditions so that they could serve as propaganda tools against Israel, even as millions of refugees elsewhere have been repatriated and absorbed by their host countries.

The Wall Street Journal Notable & Quotable

Tony Blair on the campaign to de-legitimate Israel: I often have a conversation about the West Bank which goes like this. Someone says: Israel must lift the occupation. I

reply: I agree but it has to be sure that when it does so, there will be security and a Palestinian force capable of preventing terrorism. They say: so you’re supporting occupation. I say: I’m not: I’m simply pointing out that if Hamas, with an unchanged position on Israel, were running the West Bank, Israel would have a perfectly legitimate right to be concerned about its security.

So the issue of de-legitimization is not simply about an overt denial of the state of Israel.  It is the application of prejudice in not allowing that Israel has a point of view that should be listened to.

Newsweek How Israel Views the Upcoming Peace Talks

The key to success lies in the spirit of Camp David. Sadat and Begin were dedicated to peace and determined to achieve it. Their treaty, signed in March 1979, foresaw the day when the Middle East might serve as “a model for coexistence and cooperation between nations.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu and the people of Israel remain committed to that vision, as are President Obama and his senior diplomats. Together with Palestinian partners willing to work in good faith, the model envisaged by that earlier—and, in its day, doubted—accord can yet become a reality.

Newsweek Can Netanyahu Make Peace With the Palestinians?

The Economist Iran’s nuclear programme – Game resumed

The Guardian Peace talks yet to burst Tel Aviv ‘bubble’

Today’s Zaman Iran the target

Sydney Morning Herald Behind the lines of Mr Cool

Los Angeles Times Experts see political benefits in Carly Fiorina’s ‘personal’ trip to Israel

Financial Times Israeli universities accused of anti-Zionism

The Daily Telegraph Barack Obama ‘to visit Jerusalem and Ramallah to press for peace’

Asharq Alawsat Do We Want the Direct Negotiations to Succeed?

The Jordan Times Going by the Law

The Daily Star Turkey’s peace role requires its settling with Israel

Asharq Alawsat Gaza: Injustice against Kin

Hamas police proceeded to close a water park in Gaza due to the presence of “degrading and unethical gender mixing”…

During Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s July visit to Washington, Barack Obama praised him as “willing to take risks for peace.” There was a time when that meant swapping “land for peace” — Israel sacrificing something tangible and irrecoverable, strategic depth, in exchange for something intangible and perishable, promises of diplomatic normality.

Strategic depth matters in a nation where almost everyone is or has been a soldier, so society cannot function for long with the nation fully mobilized. Also, before the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel within the borders established by the 1949 armistice was in one place just nine miles wide, a fact that moved George W. Bush to say: In Texas we have driveways that long. Israel exchanged a lot of land to achieve a chilly peace with Egypt, yielding the Sinai, which is almost three times larger than Israel and was 89 percent of the land captured in the process of repelling the 1967 aggression.

The intifada was launched by the late Yasser Arafat — terrorist and Nobel Peace Prize winner — after the July 2000 Camp David meeting, during which then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered to cede control of all of Gaza and more than 90 percent of the West Bank, with small swaps of land to accommodate the growth of Jerusalem suburbs just across the 1949 armistice line.

Israelis are famously fractious, but the intifada produced among them a consensus that the most any government of theirs could offer without forfeiting domestic support is less than any Palestinian interlocutor would demand. Furthermore, the intifada was part of a pattern. As in 1936 and 1947, talk about partition prompted Arab violence.

In 1936, when the British administered Palestine, the Peel Commission concluded that there was “an irrepressible conflict” — a phrase coined by an American historian to describe the U.S. Civil War — “between two national communities within the narrow bounds of one small country.” And: “Neither of the two national ideals permits” a combination “in the service of a single state.” The commission recommended “a surgical operation” — partition. What followed was the Arab Revolt of 1936 to 1939.

On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations recommended a partition plan. Israel accepted the recommendation. On Nov. 30, Israel was attacked.

Palestine has a seemingly limitless capacity for eliciting nonsense from afar, as it did recently when British Prime Minister David Cameron referred to Gaza as a “prison camp.” In a sense it is, but not in the sense Cameron intended. His implication was that Israel is the cruel imprisoner. Gaza’s actual misfortune is to be under the iron fist of Hamas, a terrorist organization.

In May, a flotilla launched from Turkey approached Gaza in order to provoke a confrontation with Israel, which, like Egypt, administers a blockade to prevent arms from reaching Hamas. The flotilla’s pretense was humanitarian relief for Gaza — where the infant mortality rate is lower and life expectancy is higher than in Turkey.

Israelis younger than 50 have no memory of their nation within the 1967 borders set by the 1949 armistice that ended the War of Independence. The rest of the world seems to have no memory at all concerning the intersecting histories of Palestine and the Jewish people.

The creation of Israel did not involve the destruction of a Palestinian state, there having been no such state since the Romans arrived. And if the Jewish percentage of the world’s population were today what it was when the Romans ruled Palestine, there would be 200 million Jews. After a uniquely hazardous passage through two millennia without a homeland, there are 13 million Jews.

In the 62 years since this homeland was founded on one-sixth of 1 percent of the land of what is carelessly and inaccurately called “the Arab world,” Israelis have never known an hour of real peace. Patronizing American lectures on the reality of risks and the desirableness of peace, which once were merely fatuous, are now obscene.

George F. Will, Washington Post, georgewill@washpost.com

Kurd can absorb millions of Jews in opposite of Israel because Kurdistan is large territory and in need of Jews knowledge. Jews and Kurds can be the blessing for one another and live in peace and prosperity for generations to come.

Kurdish large cities can take in millions of Jewish business man and technical oriented Jews. They can teach, build companies and do commerce in the cities. Kurdistan with its natural resources and weather can be built as haven of Mesopotamia and world.

Israel and Jew world wide should help Kurds to establish democratic system like Israel. I hope they are going to stop helping families like Barzani and Talabani to be dictators in Kurdistan. The people’s life under dictatorship is useless no matter who the dictators are. Israel and Jews should know that Barzani and Talabani family are abusing Kurdish populations now.

Kurdish people love Jewish people. So to not disappoint them stop helping dictators in Kurdistan. Creating small country for Barzani, Talabani and others is going to divide Kurdistan to small hells for Kurdish people.

Israel Support of people like Barzani and Talabani is meaning that Israel is Imperialist not friend of Kurdish people. They are only after raw material that is why supporting dictators. England and France operated in the region with the same policy before. The people hate UK and France for that policy.

Kurd wants Jews to come home to Kurdistan. They want them to build Kurdistan to have democratic Government and rule of laws. You can see what the Kurdish dictators are doing now in Kurdistan. Few Jews will make very good money for the cooperation’s with dictators like Barzani and Talabani but the Kurdish populations will turn around and join Islamic extremist because of the dictator’s policy. It is hard to leave in peace under Barzani and Talabani dictatorship Government. Majority of young Kurds are running overseas because of Barzani and Talabani family abuses.

To build free Kurdistan for the people, you have to have freedom in the country. The system of Government must be fully democratic system based on the rule of laws. The world and Kurdish people by now knows that Barzani and Talabani rulers of South Kurdistan are dividing that small area to two countries. They are practicing thee most outdated nomadic rule to run the life of the Kurdish people. The Kurdish country under such rulers never will see progress. They are restricting every freedom from the populations.

The political leaders starting with KDP, PUK, Islamist, Change and others do hate Kurds from Europe and America because those Kurds are learning what democratic systems means. The change parliament members are against the Kurdish people overseas. I know some of them and understand their opinion toward the Kurds from EU and USA.

Barzani, Talabani, Islamist and Nawshirwan Mustafa are in agreement to fight Kurdish populations from Europe and America except people who are in pay row of Barzani and Talabani family. It is just like old days when religious Sheik, land lord used to keep Kurdish population uneducated so they can abuse them and take their wealth. Today the leaders in south Kurdistan are against Kurds from overseas unless that Kurds are the sale out and partner in the oil deals. In other word the only Kurd get along with Barzani,www.ekurd.netTalabani and others in Kurdistan are the Kurd from overseas who are involved in the corruptions with those Kurdish leaders from south Kurdistan.

The Kurdish leaders are trying to fight Kurds from Europe and America so they can continue to run Kurdistan under dictatorship like Barzani and Talabani family does. Change is fighting to replace Barzani and Talabani, they are not fighting to serve Kurdish people otherwise why they do hate Kurds from Europe and America.

For the Kurd to have Kurdistan as a country like modern states of the USA and European countries they must fight dictatorship of Kurdistan. For Jews to have second home after Israel they must help Kurdish people to establish Kurdistan as a modern state.

Israel and Jews must not allow Massoud Barzani dictatorship even they are saying he is from Jews origin or allowing Qubad Talabani to be dictator in Kurdistan after his father goes to hell because he is married to the American Jewish girl.

Kurdish people want Kurdistan to be one country and be ruled by laws. They want Kurdistan to be democratic system based on free elections. So the Kurdistan citizens will choice Governments rulers. Kurd hates Barzani, Talabani, Change and others dictatorship as a rulers.

Kurd wants to be free from occupiers and internal dictators like Barzani and Talabani families. They want to be free at last. They pay with the blood to get full freedom not they fought to be free from occupiers and be ruled by dictators like Barzani and Talabani family members.

The Kurds are expecting that Jews in the world will help them for the establishment of free country. Free from Kurdish dictators. Free from occupiers. Free from religious dictatorship too. Separations’ of religion and politics are the demand of the majority of Kurdish populations.

Published by Hamma Mirwaisi on ekurd.net. He is the author of the book, “Return of the Medes”. Born in Kurdistan, he is a US citizen and has lived in the US for over 35 years. He currently works as a speaker and business consultant for the Middle East region where he hopes to some day aid in the establishment of an “Economic Union” in the area spanning from Pak to Turkey and from Kurdistan to the former Soviet Union. He can be reached at hmirwaisi@gmail.com.

The Washington Post Netanyahu’s warning

Newsweek The Israeli-Saudi-American Alliance Against Iran

Time Ruling Gaza is an Awkward Balancing Act for Hamas

Time Gaza Strip: Crisis Takes a Psychological Toll on Locals

The Christian Science Monitor If Israel attacks Iran, will the mullahs welcome it?

Los Angeles Times A shift in Arab views of Iran

NY Daily News Unfair and imbalanced: Kangaroo court on Gaza flotilla is looking to hang Israel

Today’s Zaman The elephant in the room and the rope extended to Israel

The New York Times Gravestones’ Origins Fuel Feud Over Jerusalem Memorial Site

The Washington Post Calls to stop funding Lebanese army put Obama in tight spot

The Christian Science Monitor 3 Reasons Israel won’t bomb Iran – It’s a long trip for Israeli planes and there’s no certainty of success

The Wall Street Journal U.S.-Saudi Arms Deal Adds Helicopters, Swells to $60 Billion

Los Angeles Times Fight over Gaza flotilla narrative continues on YouTube

The Economist Palestinian democracy: Under threat from all sides

The Independent Hezbollah theme park draws the crowds

AP Underneath Lebanon, Israel sees hidden battlefield

The National Obama’s risks have so far been rhetorical

Rep. Howard Berman, a Democrat from California, said in a statement he suspended the aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces on August 2 because he was concerned about the influence the militant group Hezbollah may have in the army.

He said those concerns were reinforced a day later when Lebanese soldiers allegedly shot and killed an Israeli soldier along the Israel-Lebanon border.

He called on the Obama administration to conduct an in-depth policy review of its relationship with the army, known as the LAF.

“Until we know more about this incident and the nature of Hezbollah influence on the LAF and can assure that the LAF is a responsible actor, I cannot in good conscience allow the United States to continue sending weapons to Lebanon,” Berman said.

The August 3 fighting, in which four were killed, including two Lebanese soldiers and an Israeli officer, marked the most serious fighting between Israel and Lebanon since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Although Hezbollah didn’t take part in the fighting, there has been speculation the group may have encouraged it.

The Bush and Obama administrations have pushed for substantial military packages for the Lebanon, arguing a strong army was crucial to help the government extend its authority over the country, which has been challenged by Hezbollah.

Other members of Congress, including Reps. Ron Klein, a Democrat from Florida, and Eric Cantor, a Republican from Virginia, have made similar calls to halt aid to Lebanon.

“Lebanon cannot have it both ways,” Cantor said in a statement. “If it wants to align itself with Hezbollah against the forces of democracy, stability and moderation, there will be consequences.”

The State Department defended the aid Monday.

“We have an extensive military cooperation program with Lebanon because it’s in our interest to have that program,” spokesman PJ Crowley said. “It allows the government of Lebanon to expand its sovereignty. We believe that is in the interest of both of our countries and regional stability as a whole.”

Elise Labott, CNN