Egyptian Ramadan Series Portrays Egyptian Jews Favorably

http://blogs.cfr.org/cook/2015/06/29/reinventing-egypts-jews/

Fascinating, if not terribly accurate, use of the indigenous Jew in Egyptian and other Arab culture in the fight to combat extremist intolerance in the Muslim world. We can only hope that this becomes a true cultural trend, that more than a couple of Egyptians in the liberal salons of Cairo and elsewhere in the Middle East drink the Coolade, and that the dysfunctional Israelis find a way to ride this wave.

Public Statement on U.S. Policy Toward the Iran Nuclear Negotiations - Endorsed by a Bipartisan Group of American Diplomats, Legislators, Policymakers, and Experts - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Public Statement on U.S. Policy Toward the Iran Nuclear Negotiations - Endorsed by a Bipartisan Group of American Diplomats, Legislators, Policymakers, and Experts - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy:

This says it all.



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Obama’s Secret Iran Strategy » Mosaic

Obama’s Secret Iran Strategy » Mosaic: "The president has long been criticized for his lack of strategic vision. But what if a strategy, centered on Iran, has been in place from the start and consistently followed to this day?"



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What Iran Will Buy With Obama’s $50 Billion – Tablet Magazine

What Iran Will Buy With Obama’s $50 Billion – Tablet Magazine:

As one retired Israeli general recently commented, Obama's Iran strategy is hopelessly naive and optimistic, a product of his "guilt-driven world view". This article describes some of the impact of this policy with regard to Iranian military expenditures on Hezbollah.



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Netanyahu’s target wasn’t Israeli Arabs, but foreign-funded NGOs | Evelyn Gordon

Netanyahu’s target wasn’t Israeli Arabs, but foreign-funded NGOs | Evelyn Gordon:

Great article by Ms. Gordon. The destructive and corrosive effect of foreign non-governmental organization (NGO) money on Israeli democracy and politics is well-documented. The injection into the US political system by foreigners of billions of dollars, generally tied to a partisan, left wing political agenda, would never be tolerated. And yet European and US government money floods into Israel every day for the same purpose.

As is usual with Western interference into Israel's affairs (or anyones's affairs, for that matter), it achieves the opposite effect than what is intended -- it drives Israel and the Palestinians further from peace.  Israelis are made to feel more embattled and more convinced that the Western world has a disproportionate share of anti-Semites and anti-Zionists hiding behind the Palestinian cause, intent on driving Israel into the Mediterranean, and it encourages and emboldens the Palestinians to be maximalist in their "negotiating" stance (if you can call it that at all), instead of compromising towards actually achieving a functioning Palestinian state.



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