The US
Headline: U.S. says 'very hard' to clinch deal as Iran nuclear talks resume
To Read: Ari Shavit holds George W. Bush as responsible for the US' current situation with Iran-
Mr. Bush’s responsibility for the disaster now unfolding is twofold: He failed to target Iran a decade ago, and created a climate that made it very difficult to target Iran today. The Bush administration didn’t initiate a political-economic siege on Iran when it was weak, and Mr. Bush weakened America by exhausting its economic power and military might in a futile war. By the time American resolve was needed to fend off a genuine global threat, the necessary determination was no longer there. It had been wasted on the wrong cause.
Quote: “They tweeted their ways and Facetimed their ways and talked to each other, and that's what drove that revolution. And then it got stolen by the one single-most organized entity in the state, which was the Brotherhood”, John Kerry's commentary on the Egyptian revolution.
Number: 32, the percentage of Americans who are following the Philippines disaster closely.
Israel
Headline: Yachimovich faces 'number 2' in Labor Party elections
To Read: Michael Oren tries to explain why Netanyahu won't back down on the Iranian issue, even if he is facing a lot of names and ridicule-
Moreover, when formulating policies vital to Israel's survival, the prime minister consults with Israel's renowned intelligence community, a robust national security council and highly specialized units of the Israel Defense Forces. Netanyahu may at times appear to stand alone on Iran, but he is backed by a world-class body of experts.
In 2011, these same analysts predicted that the Arab Spring, which was widely hailed as the dawn of Middle Eastern democracy, would be hijacked by Islamic radicals. They foresaw years of brutal civil strife. Netanyahu publicly expressed these conclusions and was denounced as a naysayer by many of the same columnists who are now lambasting him on Iran.
Quote: “The link between Israel and its main strategic partner the United States has weakened…We need to stop demanding, complaining, moaning and instead seek countries that are not dependent on money from the Arab or Islamic world and who want to cooperate with us in the field of innovation”, Avigdor Lieberman is back, as controversial as ever.
Number: 15, the age of the girl whom Eyal Golan- one of the most popular singers in Israeli history- allegedly slept with (the story has been absolutely dominating the Israeli press for days now).
The Middle East
Headline: Iran: No deal without right to enrich uranium
To Read: According to Fouad Ajami, Iran should blame itself for the bombing of its embassy in Beirut-
The Sunni jihad in Syria had come to Beirut, and Nasrallah and his Iranian masters have to accept that this was the war they made. Iran plays a double game. It feigns respectability in regional affairs; it even wants a role in the negotiations over Syria, if and when these negotiations materialize. Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, described Syria in an article under his name in the Washington Post as a “civilizational jewel,” even as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah fighters have heaped grief and loss on Syrian civilians.
But the attack in Beirut is a stark confirmation that Iran has run out of deniability for its deeds in Syria.
Quote: “Zionist officials cannot be called humans, they are like animals, some of them. The Israeli regime is doomed to failure and annihilation”, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, always good for a sound-bite.
Number: 4, the number of suicide attacks that took place yesterday in Syria.
The Jewish World
Headline: Haredi press ignores Metzger arrest
To Read: Ron Kampeas examines the provocative idea of accepting Messianic Jews into the Jewish community-
Despite their rejection by mainstream Jewry, Messianic Jews are not entirely outside the tent. Resnik says members of his congregation donate to local federations and are accepted to a degree as volunteers, making fundraising calls, visiting the Jewish elderly and teaching English to Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
Jewish security professionals also reach out to Messianic congregations in cases of perceived security threats against the Jewish community, according to the Secure Community Network, the security arm of national Jewish groups.
Quote: “That was good to hear but hard to believe”, Congressman Steve Cohen about Turkey's Foreign Minister's claim that Jews still feel comfortable in his country.
Number: 800,000 the number of people who visit mount Masada every year.