Middle East Pundit

For those of you out there who absolutely love my blog (and I know you’re out there) you will be disheartened to know I’m going on a desperately needed vacation from the 1st of July through the 10th.
I plan on doing absolutely nothing related to Israel or the Near East although I’m sure […]

Reuters - Hamas struggles with hostage predicament
Reuters has reported that the military wing of Hamas, the Izz el-Din al-Qassam Brigades* which took an Israeli soldier hostage does not take orders from the Palestinian Prime Minister, but “they could be swayed by Meshaal.”
However, Hamas’ spokesman Ghazi Hamad insisted in an interview with the […]

Iran News, Persian Journal Iranian Farsi News and Iran Newspaper - HAMAS, once a terrorist - always a terrorist
Iranian news has called the recent actions by Hamas as “terrorist” and described their justification for such actions as misleading.
Hamas attacked an IDF crossing that they use for getting humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, in addition […]

Ha’aretz - Fatah-Hamas deal limits attacks to the territories
The Palestinians’ “moderate” President Mahmoud Abbas has agreed on a deal with Hamas that would allow Palestinians to carry out “resistance” operations, a Palestinian key word for terrorist attacks upon Israelis within the West Bank.
The article says, “Fatah and Hamas officials meeting on Saturday night […]

J Post - Gaza beach blast victim wakes
In the midst of the budget battle here in AZ, I missed the story that cleared the IDF [Israeli Defence Forces] of responsibility for the beach deaths.
The international papers quickly blamed the IDF, yet as far as I looked, had not written any stories clearing them […]

Hamas may accept a deal now that would (if Israel accepted it) give them more land without requiring them to actually change any of their positions.
However, Hamas and every other Islamist knows that all they’re really doing is waiting for an opportunity when they have the upper hand militarily so they can get […]

NY Times - Palestinian Leader Orders Force to Find Israeli
Once again, Hamas wants it both ways.
They want international recognition, yet they refuse to recognize previous agreements and refuse to renounce violence.
They want funding, yet they continue to do everything against their own self interest.
Now, Hamas claims to have one gun, one voice, one […]

Der Spiegel - We Want Peace and Stability
At the end of an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, Ismael Haniya shows where his true priorities lie.
Haniya says, “In addition to being prime minister, I am also the Minister of Youth and Sports. I used to play football myself. What do I have […]

BBC News - Apology follows Pantsil gesture
I understand Ghana’s need to distance itself from a politically charged situation, but calling a national football player “ignorant” and “naive” is probably not the best way to do it.
I wrote about Ghana’s football player yesterday and how he pulled out the Israeli flag after they scored each […]

NY Sun - Hamas Seeks To Attack Israeli Skyscrapers With Planes
While going through my archives I realized I missed a notable news piece. The title alone ought to make everyone stop, especially those still affected by September 11.
The article says, “Hamas is seeking the ability to attack Israel using small airplanes laden with explosives […]