Nabil Shaath has become the first high-ranking Fatah member to visit Gaza since the Hamas takeover. He made a point of delivering his passport for registration in Gaza, thus formally recognizing Hamas’ authority there.

Palestinians issue their own passports, which are recognized by more than 70 countries and allow visa-free entry into more than 40 countries. But Israelis delude themselves into thinking that Palestine is somehow not a state yet.

The Haaretz reported that the Iron Dome anti-missile defense will not be deployed in Sderot at the Negev kibbutzim, which suffer from Kassam attacks.

The Iron Dome was touted as the ultimate defense for Sderot, but we have pointed out all along that it cannot be used against Kassams for economic reasons: a $200,000 interceptor missile for a $100 projectile.

The Iron Dome will be deployed at IAF bases and other military installations to defend against Fajr rockets, which are still very rare. As for Sderot—who in the government cares about it?

A respected commander of US troops in Iraq has stated that a Western attack on Iran would spark nationalist movements in Muslim countries. Not at all. Such an attack would be a slap in Ahmadinejad’s face, and would actually decrease pro-Iranian sentiment. In any case, nothing would spark Iranian nationalism as much as that country defying sanctions and producing a nuclear bomb.

A 13-year-old child is dead and 35 people wounded in the new cycle of violence in Rainawari district.

The new chairman of the Jewish Agency, Nathan Scharansky, boasts that he has assembled the most representative crowd of Russian and Ukrainian Jewish oligarchs ever at his upcoming conference in St Petersburg.

The event went sour when the Russian government hinted that the conference wouldn’t take place. Naturally, the regime that did away with the major jewish oligarchs is not happy with muscle-flexing by the surviving second-tiers.

The conference will be moved to Jerusalem, but now many oligarchs will skip it to avoid incurring Putin’s displeasure.