1) NGO Monitor provides a resource on ‘Palestinian NGOs on Teens’ Involvement in Terror Attacks and Violent Clashes’.
“…terror-tied Palestinian NGOs – including Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCI-P), Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), and Al-Haq – regularly distort the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Palestinian minors in terror incidents. They ignore or minimize the violent attacks perpetrated by the minors that precipitated their deaths and blame Israel for deploying self-defense measures to protect the victims of such attacks. In situations where the minors died during clashes with Israeli forces and violent rioting, the NGOs erase this essential element of the incidents. In addition, they make factual claims that conflict with reports from media outlets and official accounts.”
2) Joe Truzman explains ‘How The United Nations Overlooks Evidence Of Hamas Human Rights Violations’.
“Last month, a new United Nations Commission of Inquiry released its first report on human rights violations committed by Israelis and Palestinians. While the report condemns Israel for having “no intention of ending the occupation” and “having clear policies for ensuring complete control over the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” the authors make no serious attempt to document war crimes committed by Hamas-led militant organizations, such as the use of human shields and child soldiers.”
3) At the INSS, Tamir Hayman and Sima Shine analyse Tehran’s efforts to thwart a regional air defence system.
“The talk about organizing regional defense against missiles and drones launched by Iran and its proxies has gained momentum in recent weeks, mainly because of President Biden’s visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia. The issue, which has been discussed for many months in secret meetings, is now aired in public with increasing frequency. In this context, a singular meeting was reported to have taken place in Egypt last March between chiefs of staff from Arab countries (among them Saudi Arabia) and Israel. Before Biden’s visit, Admiral (ret.) John Kirby, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, confirmed that the US administration was conducting a dialogue with parties in the region about closer cooperation on air defense against threats from Iran.”
4) At the Moshe Dayan Center, Paul Rivlin looks at ‘The Ukraine War and the Middle East’.
“The Middle East and North Africa region is particularly vulnerable to trade shocks because of its high food import dependence. Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen, three of the poorest countries in the region rely heavily on cereal imports from Russia and Ukraine. Wheat is a key food item and major source of calories in these countries, representing significant shares of caloric intake per person in these countries. Wheat imports account for about 60 percent of total wheat supply in Egypt, and it is the world’s largest importer of wheat. About 85 percent of Egypt’s wheat imports comes from Russia and Ukraine. Cereal import dependence is even higher in the Sudan and Yemen where the large majority of wheat and wheat products are imported. Russia’s and Ukraine’s share in these imports is large. Ukraine and Russia are also important suppliers of other basic agricultural products in the Middle East. Ukraine supplies about 30 percent of Egypt’s corn imports. Russia and Ukraine supply 85 percent of sunflower oil in Egypt. As a result, countries in the Middle East and North Africa are experiencing massive rises in food prices.”
