Friday, July 01, 2016

7/1/16

Rouhani laments: Syria war means hard to focus on harming Israel  Tens of thousands attend Iran's annual anti-Israel Quds Day. President laments ISIS, Syria making it harder to focus on destroying Israel. 

Iranian al-Quds Day resolution demands elimination of 'cancerous' Israel  Destroying Jewish state is Muslim world's 'top priority,' declares text issued on day of anti-Israel protests; top military official says 100,000 missiles in Lebanon ready to hit Zionist regime.

As terror strikes Israel, Quartet set to criticize 'settlements'  Long-awaited report by the Middle East Quartet will also criticize Palestinian incitement, UN envoy says. 

British Jews denounce neo-Nazi 'Miss Hitler' pageant  'It is possibly the ugliest beauty contest ever held,' says Board of Deputies of British Jews. 

Thanks in no small part to Russia, Hezbollah is now a full-fledged army  For now its focus is on the Syrian civil war, where it is sustaining heavy losses, but the Lebanese Shiite terror group has become a far more formidable player in the 10 years since the Second Lebanon War. 

Quartet: Israel must urgently halt settlement expansion  Middle East diplomacy group's new report says Palestinian incitement also ‚'severely undermines hopes for peace'. 

Istanbul airport attackers 'Russian, Uzbek and Kyrgyz'  The three men who carried out Tuesday's deadly attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport were all from parts of the former USSR, Turkish sources say. 

EU opens new phase in Turkey membership bid talks  The EU has opened a new chapter in Turkey's EU membership talks, covering budget contributions to the bloc. 

* 'Mein Kampf' profits to aid Holocaust survivors  Publisher announces all US proceeds of Adolf Hitler's manifesto will be donated to Holocaust survivors. 

UN calls for peacekeepers to retake abandoned post in Syrian Golan  Security Council tells troops to reoccupy Camp Faouar, 2 years after forces relocated across border following abductions; Israel praises move. 

Iraqi forces advance toward airbase near Mosul  Iraqi forces are closing in on an airfield they hope to use as a staging ground for an offensive against Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) in Mosul. 

NATO activity on Russian borders 'doubled,' provoking Moscow's response - Russian Defense Ministry  NATO activity on Russia's doorstep has 'more than doubled' recently, forcing Russia to take retaliatory measures, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said.