Links from my del.icio.us account for April 23rd:
- Six links, and a couple thoughts on the Harman case | The Cable – Laura Rozen gathers up links and reflections.
- Welcome | Project on Middle East Democracy – Now it's confirmed – Mubarak will be going to Washington, but it's framed as part of peace process talks, not bilateral relations.
- IMF: Mideast under strain despite oil wealth – "CAIRO – The world's worst economic recession in about six decades is hammering the nations of the Middle East, with falling commodity prices severely straining economies and wealthy oil producers digging deep into savings to sustain spending."
- Rights groups cry whitewash over army’s Gaza probe – "JERUSALEM – Human rights activists, some charging whitewash, demanded an independent war crimes probe after Israel's military on Wednesday cleared itself of wrongdoing over civilian deaths in the Gaza war."
- Clinton sets conditions on Palestinian government with Hamas – Clinton still on West Bank First.
- Israel criticises parliamentary invite for Hamas leader – Wow – former minister and MP Clare Short and others organizing live video-debate with Khaled Mishaal at House of Parliament. Trend towards engagement in moving.
- Israeli FM invited to Egypt in new sign of thaw – Lieberman to come to Egypt, so soon after Egyptians had said not until he apologizes. So did he apologize to Omar Suleiman this week?
- Another Spectacular Success For Media Memory Hole – Jonathan Schwartz points out that five years ago Jordan's King Abudallah was told by Bush that the people responsible for Abu Ghraib would be brought to justice. In the recent visit by Abdullah to the Obama White House, this has not been brought up, and Obama does not want to prosecute those who drafted the torture memos in the name of avoiding the "politicization". Incidentally this the exact same attitude that led to no one in the US being held responsible for the catastrophic laxism that made 9.11 possible – notably the promotion of Rice despite her ignoring the August 2001 memo, and the failure of the Pentagon to scramble planes in time.