Mideast news brief: Israel reaches out to the UN

Israel reaches out to the UN; PA fears consequences of new conflict in Gaza

Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Meron Reuben, has issued a formal complaint to the UN Security Council and the Secretary General of the UN over a rocket attack yesterday that injured a girl near Ashkelon. The attack from Palestinian militants came a day after the Israeli Air Force bombed smuggling routes, injuring two Palestinians. Israel responded to the newest Qassam rocket attack (which it claims was one among over a dozen in recent days and weeks) by striking a “Hamas center of terrorist activity”. Israeli military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, described the current atmosphere as “fragile and explosive”, while Deputy PM Dan Meridor told Army Radio that Israel would not tolerate rocket fire. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat warned against an aggressive Israeli military retaliation given the current heightened situation. “Military solutions such as these”, he said, “won’t attain a thing and would only complicate the situation.” Meanwhile, a new report has come out detailing the humanitarian cost of the continued Israeli closure on Gaza, which, despite some claims of a recent ‘easing’, has not actually changed on the ground for the better.

• Lebanese PM Saad Hariri to ask UN to drop international tribunal investigating 2005 assassination of former PM Rafiq Hariri
• Saudi King Abdullah released from New York hospital after month of treatment
• Indonesia to limit number of maids it allows to work in the UAE after concerns about their increasingly poor treatment in the country
• Iranian parliament going ahead with effort to formally cut ties with the UK

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki waits for the members of his new cabinet to arrive during a parliamentary session in Baghdad on December 21, 2010 in which lawmakers unanimously approved the new government which will be headed by the incumbent Shiite premier (ALI AL-SAADI/AFP/Getty Images)

Arguments & Analysis

‘Time to move on Mideast peace‘ (Desmond Tutu and Jimmy Carter, USAToday)

“We urge a renewed effort, firmly based in international law and respect for human rights that first aims to define boundaries between Israel and a new Palestinian state and address security issues,” write former president Jimmy Carter and Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town Desmond Tutu. Carter and Tutu are following up on the statement of The Elders, a group of global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela, advocating for an end to “peace processes” and the urgency of peace in the Mideast. This comes as 26 senior former European statesmen who held power during the past decade are pushing for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in letters to EU leaders.

An Observer’s Guide to Egyptian Succession’ (Nathan Brown, Carnegie Endowment for Int’l Peace)

GWU Professor Nathan Brown takes stock of possible succession paths looking at historical precedents and cracks in the Mubarak regime. Although Gamal Mubarak appears to be the leading contender, Brown notes, “Gamal’s main asset–the fact that he is his father’s son–is of value primarily if his father steps down voluntarily; it may rapidly lose value after his father’s death.”

‘The Iranian Dog That Isn’t Barking’ (Paul R. Pillar, The National Interest)

Pillar observes changes in Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s calculus as he pursues drastic cuts in subsidies for fuel and food. Meanwhile at The Nation, Robert Dreyfuss analyzes the rhetoric of those in Washington who are calling for President Obama to get tough on Iran.