BULLETIN No.86

Heritage Foundation Kadima's Victory and U.S. Policy on the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Ariel Cohen
Election Reveals Israeli Settlement Movement as a Dream Deserted
Newsweek - Israel Election: Old Spy, New Tricks
Dar Al-Hayat Four Years for Olmert and Hamas by Maher Othman - Hamas should not inadvertently contribute to imposing an international isolation not only on itself but on the Palestinian people at large. There is no point for Hamas to secure the governance and give Israel an excuse to avoid the negotiations.
IHT So pro-Israel that it hurts DANIEL LEVY - The role of the pro-Israel lobby in U.S.-Israel relations may need to be rethought, and either reformed from within or challenged from without.
Gulf News Is peace in the Middle East a small step nearer?
Ehud Olmert, leader of Kadima, the largest party in the 17th Knesset, will soon be heading for Washington at President George W. Bush's invitation for the ritual visit of an incoming Israeli prime minister.
Debka The “Thousands” of US Mistakes in Iraq and the Next Israeli Government
Daily Star Disintegration of Iraq would pose multiple problems for Israel By Asher Susser
Zahar: I dream of a map that does not show Israel Defends Hamas's goal of destroying Israel, founding Islamic state; stresses that Israeli 'occupation', not people, is the enemy.
Hamas groups clash Hamas has faced its toughest internal challenge yet, as rival militant groups in Gaza took part in a series of violent clashes that left four dead and dozens wounded.
Outside View: The mother of all sins By ALON BEN-MEIR - Committing an act of terror against Israel at this particular juncture, or even condoning it, is the worst mistake Hamas can make.
UPI Analysis: Hamas' diplomatic dilemma By Claude Salhani - Hamas' leadership will have to make a tough choice: remain steadfast and suffer the consequences, or recognize Israel and engage in dialogue with the Jewish state.
Daily Star A 'soft coup' using bread instead of tanks By Geoffrey Aronson - The policy debate in Washington sparked by the parliamentary victory of Hamas has ended. The decision is taken: support for a soft coup against the democratically elected government of Palestine. There is logic to this policy. The Hamas victory removed the fundamental rationale underlying American support for Palestinian self-government.
Boston Globe Most favored nation
(By Geoffrey Wheatcroft) In the controversy over a Kennedy School paper on 'the Israel lobby,' perhaps the most interesting question has gone largely unasked: Has the closeness of the US-Israel alliance been good for Israel? 'The lobby': Post and ripostes...
Report on Effect of Israel Lobby Distorts History, Critics Say
Ha’aretz – U.S. televangelist to launch Christian pro-Israel lobby John Hagee tells Jewish leaders that lobby, set for July launch, will be more powerful than AIPAC.
Those 'powerful' Jewish lobbyists By MARVIN SCHICK - Strange that we 'kvetch' when others get the message we're intentionally sending.
Justin Raimondo - The Lobby Strikes Back Harvard study of Israeli lobby's influence costs the academic dean of the Kennedy School his job
COMMENT: When the logic of vigilance undermines freedom of speech By Mark Mazower - It is all but impossible to have a sensible public discussion in the US about the relationship with Israel. The reasons for this – and the cost – warrant merit further consideration
Jerusalem Post View from America: The paranoid style of American anti-Israel politics
ArmsControlWonk Vanunu on Israeli Nuclear Arsenal [1]

The Syrian regime is not about to collapse By Nehad Ismail
Syria Comment
"New Year, Old Problems for Kurds in Syria," by Denselow and Taa'i
Secularists and Islamists demand that Khaddam Apologize
International banks join boycott of Syria
Amnesty Intl Charges Syria With New Crackdown on Government Opponents
Jerusalem Post What happened to the Cedar Revolution? By ERIK SCHECHTER - One of the strangest alliances is between a Christian general who fought the Syrians, and Hizbullah.
Daily Telegraph 'Iran is watching us' Iran has set up a sophisticated intelligence gathering operation in southern Lebanon to identify targets in northern Israel in the event of a military confrontation over its controversial nuclear programme.

Washington Post Attacking Iran May Trigger Terrorism U.S. Experts Wary of Military Action Over Nuclear Program
Dar Al-Hayat What to Do About Iran's Nuclear Program by Patrick Clawson - Arab states do not like living near one nuclear state, Israel; living near two would be even worse. If Iran were to complete its announced plan to build facilities that put it within a few months of having a nuclear bomb, then other states in the region may decide they have to react, starting an arms race throughout the Middle East.
Sunday Telegraph Secret Iran strike talks The Government is to hold secret talks with defence chiefs to discuss possible military strikes against Iran.
Leader - No more pussyfooting around Iran A direct military strike against Iran's nuclear interests may be a necessary last resort, but the West's earlier objective should be to support the opposition groups to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the mullah rulers.
Editorial A Faltering Coalition While U.N. Security Council nations waffle, Iran's nuclear program proceeds.
Gulf News Iran is dangerously fuelling tension
Iran is adding fuel to the tension by indulging in an unjustified arms race - the latest being the two radar-evading missiles, including the allegedly "fastest" underwater torpedo.
Yedioth Ahronoth 'Iran far from nuke bomb' Ex-inspector Blix: Tehran at least five years away from nuke bomb, peaceful settlement possible
Guardian If one side in a conflict goes nuclear, the other is bound to follow suit David Hirst: The Iranian crisis can only be understood as the inevitable result of Israel's US-backed WMD monopoly in the region.
NPQ How to resolve the US-Iran nuclear standoff: Brent Scowcroft on why the US is wrong to address proliferation by dividing the world into friends and foes.
Financial Times COMMENT: Dialogue can stop Iran at the nuclear threshold By James Dobbins and Ray Takeyh - It is time for the Bush administration to appreciate that the only way to act against Iranian proliferation is through direct negotiations, write Ray Takeyh and James Dobbins.
Iran’s war games see oil futures rise by $2 Crude oil prices jumped to their highest level since Hurricane Katrina amid uncertainty about Nigerian supplies and as Iran announced it had tested new weapons during war games in the Strait of Hormuz.

WSJ Can the Shiite Center Hold? - The unanticipated consequences of "Iraqification." Reuel Marc Gerecht
Daily Star It's time to tackle Iraq's civil war By Ghassan Atiyyah - People tend to slip into civil war. As Abraham Lincoln in reference to the American Civil War said, "All dreaded it, all sought to avert it. And the war came."
Washington Post Once Upon a Time In Baghdad . . . Eugene Robinson "If only . . . " used to be nothing more than the wish of a fairy tale protagonist who was out of options, as in "If only a handsome prince would arrive and save the day," or "If only a brave huntsman would happen by and perform some Abu Ghraib-style interrogation on this big
Time Can Iraq's Militias Be Tamed?
Los Angeles Times Once-Supportive Shiites Call On Premier to Quit Ibrahim Jafari loses key supporters over his inability to form a new Iraqi government. The U.S. blames inaction for the growing violence.
Daily Telegraph Leader We should leave Iraq sooner rather than later The argument about withdrawal from Iraq is one of timing and method rather than of principle. We all want the "troops out". The question is when.
Project on Defense Alternatives Insurgent Iraq "Links to full-text online articles and reports about the Iraqi insurgency."
New York Times Editorial The Endgame in Iraq Iraq is becoming a country that America should be ashamed to support, let alone occupy.
Sectarian Strife Fuels Gun Sales in Baghdad
Civilians in Iraq Flee Mixed Areas as Killings Rise
Civil War Festers in Remote Pakistan Province
Iraq' s Premier Is Asked to Quit as Shiites Split
Newsweek - Sadr Strikes - Renegade Iraq Cleric: From Thug to Kingmaker U.S. forces once had the renegade cleric in their cross hairs. Now he's too strong—and too popular—to confront.
Washington Times Support eroding for Iraqi leader
UPI Policy Watch: U.S. choices in Iraq civil war
The New Republic Approach Shot by Spencer Ackerman Khalilzad has a smart strategy for Iraq. Is it too late? NYT Surviving Is Also Part of the Job By JOHN F. BURNS In the celebration at Jill Carroll's return, there will be renewed debate among editors and reporters about the entire enterprise of foreign reporting in Iraq.
Washington Post Editorial Breaking the Iraqi Tie President Bush could do more to stop the political squabbling in Baghdad
Stratfor Second-Quarter Forecast: The Presidency, Iraq and the Waiting Game ... (Part Two)
The Times Report: Zarqawi Booted for Bloody Tactics
Asia Times A silver bullet aimed at Iraq's head Sunnis, Kurds and now even a key faction in the dominant Shi'ite bloc, all with the support of the US, are lining up against Ibrahim al-Jaafari to prevent him from carrying on as Iraqi premier. This is all very well, but Jaafari departing the scene will only create a new set of circumstances, including rival Shi'ite militias, that will make it even more difficult to form a stable government. - Ehsan Ahrari