Daily News Issue Date: 
September 30, 2014
News: 
News:
PM Netanyahu says Hamas and ISIS are "branches of the same poisonous tree."(AP/Reuters/Ma’an/JTA/Ha’aretz/The National)
The PLO says Netanyahu’s UNGA address was a “blatant manipulation of facts.”(AFP/Ha’aretz) 
The US says Hamas and ISIS pose different terror threats. (Ha’aretz/The Media Line)
Pres. Abbas seems to be winning public opinion abroad but losing at home. (The Media Line)
A new Palestinian poll indicates popular support for Hamas is dropping among Palestinians a month after the end of the Gaza war. (Times of Israel) 
FM Lieberman accuses Abbas of losing “all touch with reality.” (Times of Israel)
DM Ya’alon says Israel destroyed some 80 percent of Palestinian rockets and mortars in Gaza during “Operation Protective Edge.” (JTA/Ha’aretz/Times of Israel)
Jewish extremist settlers occupy 23 homes in a neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem. (Ma’an/Times of Israel)
Israeli occupation forces detain 10 Palestinians in the West Bank. (Ma’an)
Saudi Arabia transfers $60 million to the PA. (Ma’an)
Gaza sweet potatoes are exported to Europe for the first time since the beginning of the Israeli blockade. (Ma’an)
US-led airstrikes hit ISIS targets in Syria near the Turkish border. (AP)
France says number of French radicals in Syria and Iraq has grown 74 percent this year, to about 1,000 people. (AP)
Iraqi Kurdish forces capture a strategic border crossing and several villages from ISIS extremists in northern Iraq. (Reuters)
The decision by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to strike ISIS in Syria reflects their ambition to extend regional influence. (Reuters)
The New York Times looks at the Obama administration’s missteps in assessing the ISIS threat. (New York Times)
The Syrian opposition is skeptical about US airstrikes. (New York Times)
Qatar’s FM al-Attiya denies paying ransoms to militant groups. (Reuters)
Iran will give a military grant to the Lebanese army. (Reuters)
The World Economic Forum says youth unemployment is spurring the spread of violent extremism across the region. (The National)
 
Commentary:
Nahum Barnea says Netanyahu’s UNGA speech was all talk and no action. (Ynet)
Barak Ravid says Netanyahu’s speech lacked any strategy or a detailed diplomatic program. (Ha’aretz)
Akiva Eldar says Abbas’ UNGA speech reflects the Palestinians' despair of any hope for peace with the current Israeli leadership. (Al-Monitor)
Grant Rumley looks at the recent Hamas-Fatah unity agreement. (Foreign Policy)
Jeffrey White looks at the combat performance of Hamas in the recent Gaza war. (Washington Institute)
Joel Braunold says “peace” doesn’t belong solely to Israelis, nor “justice” to Palestinians. (Ha’aretz)
AP interviews FM al-Moallem. (AP)
Faisal Al Yafai says the Syrian regime is the problem not the solution in the fight against ISIS. (The National)
Jenna Krajeski and Sebastian Meyer say how Iraq’s Kurds deal with sectarian tensions will show whether they can truly govern an inclusive, independent state. (New York Times)
Joseph Lieberman and Mark Wallace say the fight against “brutal extremists” can and will be won. (The National)
David Ignatius says young entrepreneurs are seeking change in the Middle East. (Daily Star)

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