Mideast Media Sampler 07/04/2011

From DG:

1) Unclenched fist?

From President Obama's inaugural:

To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

From a press conference a few months later.

Q    Thank you, Mr. President.  Aren’t you concerned that your outstretched hand has been interpreted by extremists, especially Ahmadinejad, Nasrallah, Meshal, as weakness?  And since my colleague already asked about the deadline, if engagement fails, what then, Mr. President? 

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  Well, it’s not clear to me why my outstretched hand would be interpreted as weakness.

From yesterday's news (via memeorandum):

The Revolutionary Guard has smuggled rocket-assisted exploding projectiles to its militia allies in Iraq, weapons that have already resulted in the deaths of American troops, defense officials said. They said Iranians have also given long-range rockets to the Taliban in Afghanistan, increasing the insurgents' ability to hit U.S. and other coalition positions from a safer distance.

Such arms shipments would escalate the shadow competition for influence playing out between Tehran and Washington across the Middle East and North Africa, fueled by U.S. preparations to draw down forces from two wars and the political rebellions that are sweeping the region.

2) Show me the money

Yesterday I read Palestinians Unable to Pay Full Salaries of Employees. The part that struck me was this:

The Palestinian Authority will pay its employees only half their monthly salaries in July, the prime minister told reporters here on Sunday, because of what he said was “the failure of donors, including our Arab brothers, to fulfill their pledges.”

(emphasis mine) Since the shortfall was the consequence of Israel's withholding funds to the PA after Fatah/Hamas unity agreement, I found it interesting that the rest of the Arab world wasn't willing to underwrite the result of that agreement. But Daled Amos noted something else:

Since, as Fayyad dutifully points out, the Palestinian Authority cannot possibly fulfill its obligations without massive amounts of foreign aid, one really has to wonder what "the sound economic policies expected of a future well-functioning Palestinian state" the IMF was talking about.

It gives new meaning to the term "welfare state."


3) Beware of Greeks

Israel Matzav, Elder of Ziyon and Challah Hu Akbar (among) others note this story (via memeorandum)

Greece's coast guard said the captain of the "Audacity of Hope" faces charges of trying to leave port without permission and of endangering the lives of the boat's passengers. The latter charge is a felony. 

While I'm not entirely comfortable with the cynicism of this story, it's nonetheless interesting (via memeorandum)

Netanyahu’s personal investment in his relationship over the past year-and-a-half with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou in which he increased diplomatic ties with the floundering European nation seems to have put the final nail in the Gaza flotilla’s coffin. 

Judith Levy points to an additional factor that might be helping Israel.

I suspect there's something else going on. Something that has to do with a humongous quantity of natural gas.

You're no doubt already familiar with the massive gas finds at the Tamar and Leviathan fields off Israel's Mediterranean coast -- finds which have just beensupplemented by another reported 6.5 trillion cubic feet at the Myra and Sarah fields, bringing Israel's natural gas discovery to a staggering 31.1 tcf. Last August, PM Bibi Netanyahu suggested to Greek PM George Papandreou that a pipeline be built to transport Israeli gas to Greece, which wouldn't object todiversifying its 70%-Russian gas imports. But supplying Greece's gas needs is the least of it. Israel has its eye on supplying Europe, either with gas via undersea pipeline or with liquified gas transported in tankers. 

In either case, the logical export hubs would be either Turkey -- which has queered its pitch with Israel recently -- or Greece.

Regardless, the contrast between this year's and last year's flotilla is striking. This year's drama may not yet be over, but so far Israel seems to be winning on most fronts.


4) Seeing through the flotilla

Christopher Hitchens: (h/t Benjamin Weinthal)

The chief significance of the enterprise is therefore symbolic. And the symbolism, when examined even cursorily, doesn't seem too adorable. The intended beneficiary of the stunt is a ruling group with close ties to two of the most retrograde dictatorships in the Middle East, each of which has recently been up to its elbows in the blood of its own civilians. The same group also manages to maintain warm relations with, or at the very least to make cordial remarks about, both Hezbollah and al-Qaida. Meanwhile, a document that was once accurately described as a "warrant for genocide" forms part of the declared political platform of the aforesaid group. There is something about this that fails to pass a smell test. I wonder if any reporter on the scene will now take me up on this.

As Aaron Mannes tweeted:

Wow, for Hitchens this is practically pro-Israel! 

As we saw yesterday, Ethan Bronner is desperately trying to smell roses.

The Turkish group I.H.H., which helps sponsor the flotillas, has ties to Hamas, and Israeli and Western concern that violence could occur if the flotilla sets sail does not seem far-fetched, despite the organizers’ vows to the contrary. 

To Bronner, the involvement of Hamas is incidental to the main story.

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