Links April 30th to May 3rd

Links from my del.icio.us account for April 30th through May 3rd:

• Netanyahu candidate Michael Oren tapped as U.S. envoy - Haaretz - Israel News - IDF spokesman and part-time historian Michael Oren to be Israel's Ambassador to US.


• Was the Gaza school bombed by IAF a 'legitimate target'? - Haaretz - Israel News - Amira Hass on American School of Gaza, built by PA cronies, treated with suspicion by Hamas, destroyed by Israel.


• Egypt invites WorleyParsons as Bechtel talks stall | Markets | Markets News | Reuters - "If talks with WorleyParsons are successful, the company would choose the technology and the site for the reactors, ensure quality control for the project, train personnel to run the power plant, and provide other technical services, MENA reported, quoting the ministry official."


• Almasry Alyoum | Electricity Ministry Cancels Nuclear Power Plant Contract With US Bechtel; Resorts To Australian Parsons - Consulting contract with Bechtel cancelled, could be move to put to some pressure on US before Mubarak-Obama meeting? Energy lobby in US will not be happy, Bechtel contract could have led to multi-billion dollar contract to build plant.


• The Saturday Profile - Ex-Spy Sits Down With Islamists and the West - Biography - NYTimes.com - On Alastair Crooke of Conflicts Forum. A hard man to pin down.


• Life in the Gaza Strip | Not nearly back to normal | The Economist - "Commercial petrol and diesel fuel have not been let into Gaza since November, but the tunnels under the Egyptian border, which were a main target of Israel’s bombs, were rapidly repaired; smuggling is flourishing again. The Palestinian association for petrol-station owners says that 100,000 litres of diesel and 70,000 of petrol enter Gaza every day via the tunnels.
  The canned broad beans which Mr Khader’s wife heats on a kerosene stove come from Egypt too. “Beans, beans,” sighs her husband. “How many beans can you eat?” It has been months since the family ate meat. The pitta bread they are given by an Islamic charity is their staple. Several of their girls are anaemic. “The doctor told me to give them better food,” says Mrs Khader, wiping tears off her face. “But what can I do? I cry every day.”"


• Why Jane Fonda Is Banned in Beirut - WSJ.com - This article on censorship in :ebanon makes good points when it talks about the Diary of Anne Frank being banned - that's ridiculous - but I can understand why Jane Fonda's works would be rejected, considering her stance in 1982. There's nothing anti-Semitic about that. Of course, all censorship is rather stupid.


• Mahatet Masr Radio راديو محطة مصر - Some kind of new Egyptian radio station, judging from their splash page run by some gang of assassins. You can listen over the net.


• Iran's New Target: Egypt - WSJ.com - Abdel Moneim Said Aly on the Iran-Egypt face-off + a plea for Obama to come to Cairo.


• Middle East Online | Ending Arab Corruption - Rami Khouri on the Aran Anti-Corruption Organization.


• MINURSO mandate extended, rights proposal buried « Maghreb Politics Review - Alle detects slight change in US position (no mention of Morocco's autonomy proposal), laments that human rights monitoring still not included.


• Moroccan bloggers create first association (Magharebia.com) - "Bloggers in Morocco have organised a new association to provide legal representation in case of trouble and to establish clear rules and ethics."


• Growing Majority of Americans Oppose Israel Building Settlements - World Public Opinion - "A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll finds that three-quarters of Americans think that Israel should not build settlements in the Palestinian territories. This is up 23 points from when this question was last asked in 2002."


• Egyptians win the right to drop religion from ID cards | csmonitor.com - "Rights activists say the decision on a case brought by Bahais is an historic first step towards a more inclusive definition of Egyptian identity."


• FT.com / Middle East - Senior Saudi calls for political reforms - Prince Talal speaks out, perhaps in reaction to the Prince Nayef appointment?


• Where are Egyptian politics going? A panel discussion. | Marc Lynch - Marc Lynch's notes on a panel with Egyptian officials and politicians (all pro-regime). Note that they get taken on, and show concern for, the terrible human rights situation. This is the core of matters, and where to push.


• Middle East Online | Egypt After Mubarak - Stephen Glain on succession in Egypt (he comes out on the army side.)