Partisanship in US Continues After Israeli Election
While many Israelis view improving relations between their government and the US administration as a top priority for the incoming government that remains to be formed, the partisanship that rankled both governments and their constituents during the recent Israeli election cycle appears not to be subsiding any time soon. In the aftermath of Binyamin Netanyahu’s come-from-behind victory, local media seized upon Republican lawmakers and notables being first to extend congratulations to the prime minister while suggesting that Democrats were slower to do so. President Obama has drawn criticism for letting it be known that while he will make only a belated call to Jerusalem, there was time to criticize Netanyahu for statements he made in the final hours of the campaign and in particular, his apparent recanting of his support for a two-state solution. Secretary of State John Kerry did, however, phone Netanyahu with congratulations. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi simply acknowledged that she “respect(s) the results they have produced.” Spokesman Josh Earnest said the Netanyahu remarks would cause the White House to “re-evaluate” its Mideast policies. According to the New York Times, the administration is considering supporting the Palestinian positon on returning to 1967 borders as its first shot-across-the-bow of Netanyahu’s new ship of state.
Terror Attack at Tunisian Museum Leaves 20 Dead
Two gunmen fired into crowds of tourists arriving at Tunis’s National Bardo Museum on Wednesday killing twenty before being shot dead by police. The assailants wore military-style uniforms and used assault rifles in their killing spree. Responding to the attack, Tunisia’s newly-electedPresident Beji Caid Essebsi admonished the nation in a televised address, saying, “I want the people of Tunisia to understand firstly and lastly that we are in a war with terror, and these savage minority groups will not frighten us. The fight against them will continue until they are exterminated.”
Palestinians in Legal Moves against Abbas Political Foe
Mohammad Dahlan, the Palestinian leader often suggested as successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas despite his exile to the Gulf, lost his appeal against the presidential decree stripping him of parliamentary immunity before the highest Palestinian court on Wednesday. Dahlan, once the head of security in the Gaza Strip, has been charged with corruption. The court ruling, which cannot be appealed, presumably ensures that Dahlan will not return from his exile anytime soon, thus obviating his political threat to Abbas whom he has accused of using his office for his own benefit.
Lebanon is Seeking $2.1 Billion for Syrian Refugees
As the cost of providing for millions of refugees who fled Syria to neighboring countries mounts, Lebanon is asking the international community for $2.1 billion to cover its expenses for two years. Lebanese social affairs minister Rashid Derbas said on Wednesday that Beirut will ask the donors’ conference scheduled to be held in Kuwait on March 31 for the funding. The parley will be the third time donors have assembled, but its track record is not promising: many of the $4 billion in pledges made at the second conference remain uncollected. United Nations agencies have had to cut their services to refugees due to the lack of funding.
Egypt Sentences 22 Morsi Supporters to Death
Twenty-two defendants charged with attacking a police station and killing an officer on the day the overthrow of former president Mohamed Morsi was announced have been sentenced to death by a Cairo court. The 22 are a small sampling of thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members and Morsi supporters jailed and given death sentences in mass trials. At least 1,400 have been killed.