Daily Brief–July 9, 2010

Netanyahu says he’ll move forward with peace talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will “confound the critics and the skeptics” and make peace with the Palestinians. The Prime Minister was addressing the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, and added that an agreement can be reached within a year if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with him directly.

While some report that Netanyahu simply “hinted” that he would not extend the West Bank settlement freeze beyond its September deadline, others are reporting that in a separate address to AIPAC, the Prime Minister gave an unequivocal rejection of the settlement extension, saying that his government had already made enough sacrifices to ensure peace talks could move forward. Meanwhile, President Obama is reaching out to the Israeli public; the President did an interview with Yonit Levi of Israel’s Channel 2, and said:

…The truth of the matter is…that my outreach to the Muslim community is designed precisely to reduce the antagonism and the dangers posed by a hostile Muslim world to Israel and to the West.

• The UK removes the British ambassador to Lebanon’s blog post for praising late Lebanese cleric Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah.
• A suicide bomber kills six people in Baghdad this morning.
• A new study finds that Gazan teens with family killed by the IDF are more likely to support aggression.
• Iranian authorities announced that a woman convicted of adultery will not be stoned to death.
• Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator says Iran will not discuss its nuclear program until the U.S.clarifies its position on Israel’s nuclear strategy.

Daily Snapshot

In the Kadhimiya district of northern Baghdad, shiite pilgrims arrive to the Imam Musa al-Kadhim Mosque to mark the death of the eighth century Imam; Iraqi police check everyone upon arrival. A suicide bomber blew himself up at one of the check points on Wednesday night, killing at least 28 people (AFP/Getty Images).

Arguments & Analysis

‘Security council wanders lost in Western Sahara’ (Anna Theofilopoulou, The National)
The ongoing dispute between Morocco and the Algeria-based Polisario Front over Western Sahara, now in its 35th year, remains a solution without a foreseeable solution-especially given the worsening relations between Algeria and Morocco, the intransigence of the parties in the conflict, and the failures of international community to live up to the standards it has laid out for mediation.

‘Iran stonings are a legal nightmare’ (Mehrangiz Kar & Azadeh Pourzand, CNN.com)
The legality and continued use of stoning as a punishment against women in Iran underscore the extent to which human rights abuses remain a fundamental challenge for the Iranian people, the government, and the international community

‘A society falling apart’ (Ze’ev Sternhell, Ha’aretz)
Especially since the 2nd Lebanon war of 2006, the acute failures of Israel’s political leadership have far outweighed any successes to be had. What remains is a society in a profound state of moral crisis-and one that is likely spread.

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