memeorandum: Hamas ‘bars injured leaving Gaza’ (BBC)

10:30 AM ET, December 28, 2008

Top Items:

Iran orders Muslims to defend Palestinians — Supreme leader issues religious decree in support of Palestinians; parliamentarian likens Israel's actions in Gaza to those of Hitler — Dudi Cohen — Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world on Sunday …

Discussion: Jihad Watch

Jerusalem Post:

‘Hamas could have prevented massacre’ — Hamas could have prevented the “massacre” in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday in Cairo. — “We spoke to them and told them ‘Please, we ask you not to end the cease-fire. Let it continue,’” …

Discussion: Hot Air, Ynetnews and Israel Matzav

BBC:

Hamas ‘bars injured leaving Gaza’ — Egypt says the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, is preventing hundreds of wounded Palestinians from leaving for treatment in Egypt. — Cairo says dozens of empty ambulances are at the Rafah crossing - the only one to Gaza which avoids Israel.

Discussion: Harry's Place and Jihad Watch

David Horovitz / Jerusalem Post:

Analysis: The policy of restraint is over — The Israeli air strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza on Saturday, hugely dramatic in their scope, nonetheless mark only the beginning of an ongoing, potentially lengthy operation aimed at restoring calm to the South, rather than a one-off response to the escalated Kassam rocket fire.

Discussion: A Blog For All, Yourish.com, Israpundit, Israel Matzav, Ynetnews and Reuters

Michael Abramowitz / Washington Post:

Israeli Airstrikes on Gaza Strip Imperil Obama's Peace Chances — Likely Escalation Complicates Already-Delicate Diplomacy — Israel's airstrikes on Gaza yesterday, in retaliation for a nonstop barrage of rocket attacks from Hamas fighters, raised the prospect of an escalation of violence …

Discussion: Guardian, BBC, New York Times, The Huffington Post, Augean Stables, Mere Rhetoric, Right Wing News, Commentary, TalkLeft and Israel Matzav

Barak Ravid / Haaretz:
Disinformation, secrecy, deception: How the Gaza offensive came about

Discussion: Power Line, I*Consult, Jerusalem Post, International Herald Tribune, Associated Press, The Huffington Post, Aljazeera, Jules Crittenden, Stop The ACLU, Firedoglake, Mondoweiss, Ynetnews, english.ramattan.net, kuna.net.kw, Macsmind, TPMCafe and Israel Matzav

Barak Ravid / Haaretz:
Israel to mount emergency international PR effort in wake of Gaza campaign

Discussion: Mondoweiss, Telegraph, Associated Press and Ynetnews

Bradley Burston / Haaretz:
Bradley Burston / The worst anti-Israel charges you'll hear in wartime

Discussion: Sean Rayment's blog listings, Harry's Place, Preemptive Karma, Firedoglake and Pajamas Media

Hana Levi Julian / Arutz Sheva:
IDF Releases Photos of Hamas Targets, Terror Training Facilities

Discussion: Jerusalem Post, Jihad Watch, Ynetnews, Gateway Pundit, Israpundit, Commentary, Atlas Shrugs and Haaretz

Frank Rich / New York Times:

You're Likable Enough, Gay People — IN his first press conference after his re-election in 2004, President Bush memorably declared, “I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it.” We all know how that turned out. — Barack Obama has little in common …

Discussion: ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES, Prairie Weather and TalkLeft

Christopher Booker / Telegraph:

2008 was the year manmade global warming was disproved — Looking back over my columns of the past 12 months, one of their major themes was neatly encapsulated by two recent items from The Daily Telegraph. — The first, on May 21, headed “Climate change threat to Alpine ski resorts” …

Discussion: EU Referendum, Don Surber, Ed Driscoll.com and NewsBusters.org

Steve Connor / The Independent:

Scientific illiteracy all the rage among the glitterati — When it comes to science, Barack Obama is no better than many of us. Today he joins the list of shame of those in public life who made scientifically unsupportable statements in 2008. — Closer to home, Nigella Lawson …

Michael D. Shear / Washington Post:

RNC Rivals Discuss Racial Song — Would-Be Chairman Who Sent CD With Parody Blames Media — Republicans who are vying to lead the national party offered a mix of reactions yesterday to the decision by one candidate for the job to mail out a music CD including the song “Barack the Magic Negro.”

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, TPM Election Central, bastard.logic, CNN and Comments from Left Field

Andie Coller / The Politico:

After Bush, will MoveOn live up to its name? — After more than a decade spent railing against the Republican machine, MoveOn wants to move on —even if it means leaving some of its high-minded ideals behind. — Last week, the group's members chose their top four priorities for the organization …

Discussion: Open Left and Patterico's Pontifications

Paul Mulshine / WSJ.com:

All I Wanted for Christmas Was a Newspaper — Bloggers are no replacement for real journalists. — Newark, N.J. — When my colleague at the Newark Star-Ledger John Farmer started off in journalism more than five decades ago, things were very different.

Discussion: Jules Crittenden, Instapundit, The Other McCain, Ed Driscoll.com and Fausta's Blog

Christopher Caldwell / Financial Times:

No smoke without ire — About a week ago, the New York Post published a portfolio of photographs of Barack Obama that had been taken on the campus of Occidental College in 1980. According to the paper, the photographer, a university friend, had kept them in a safe-deposit box until after the election …

Discussion: normblog