Against the backdrop of both Israel (Netanyahu) and Egypt (el-Sisi) telling Secretary Kerry to stay out of the issues in the Gaza Strip – Kerry goes on the Sunday talk show circuit, and -during ‘hot mic’ candor- simultaneously reveals why Netanyahu and el-Sisi want Obama’s team kept out.  

(Via Daily Caller) Maybe there’s a reason the White House has been keeping John Kerry from Fox News.
Just moments after a testy exchange with “Fox News Sunday’s” Chris Wallace over what the Secretary of State perceived as repeated interruptions, Wallace played a clip captured while Kerry waited to appear on the Sunday news program.
Seemingly oblivious to the fact that the State Department camera in front of him and mic pinned on his lapel were live, America’s top diplomat harshly criticized the on-going Israeli operation in Gaza following news of Israeli army casualties and Palestinian civilian deaths.  (read more)

White House Communications Director Ben Rhodes must really be annoyed with Secretary John Kerry this week.
Kerry and Wallace got into a heated exchange:

It should be anticipated the Muslim Brotherhood will intensify calls for further attacks against Egyptian authorities – especially given the el-Sisi support for Israel’s efforts against Hamas.    The Brotherhood and Hamas are ideological brethren.   With Libya in a state of civil war and crisis, the Eastern Libya border to Egypt will be used by the severe Islamists as an incursion zone to attack.   

Remember the most hated man in the region (by the terrorists) is not Benjamin Netanyahu, it is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil el-Sisi .  President el-Sisi has deconstructed the terror networks, arrested the brotherhood members, and jailed the violent extremists.

VIA BBC – Gunmen have killed at least 15 soldiers in an attack on a checkpoint in western Egypt, security officials say.

The attackers used grenade launchers and heavy machine guns when they attacked the desert post some 390 miles (630km) west of Cairo, officials said.  It is not yet clear who carried out the assault.  Militants have intensified a campaign against the security forces since the Islamist president Mohammed Morsi was ousted from power just over a year ago.  (link)
(more…)

VICE News reported: On Thursday, July 17, 2014, a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet carrying 298 people was shot down over eastern Ukraine — allegedly by pro-Russia separatists. Residents in the area described bodies falling from the sky and landing in their own backyards. VICE News travels to the still-gruesome scene of the crash and speaks to residents who witnessed firsthand a tragedy that promises to dramatically alter the terms of the conflict.

HRABOVE, Ukraine (Associated Press) – Ukraine accused Russia on Saturday of helping separatist rebels destroy evidence at the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines plane shot down in rebel-held territory – a charge the rebels denied.
As dozens of victims’ bodies lay in bags by the side of the road baking in the summer heat, international monitors at the crash site Saturday said they were still being hampered by heavily armed rebels. (more…)

Patrick Howley sets the stage:   “Is there hope for liberal television after all? Probably not, but for a brief shining moment one conservative rocked the epicenter of the lefty airwaves with such righteous force that HBO viewers are still trying to figure out if they should be terrified, impressed, or some combination thereof”.

Israel launches ground attack into Gaza to defend themselves. A Russian missile shots down a civilian passenger airliner killing 290 people including 23 American Citizens. The Southern U.S. border is under siege, and against the backdrop the State Department responds thusly:

Great piece by former colleague Alyssa Mastromonaco who defines smart, savvy and fashionable http://t.co/zJGlE5XKp6 via @washingtonpost

— Matthew Miller (@StateDeptSpox) July 18, 2014

With U.S. priorities like this, is it really any wonder why President Obama would choose to continue his scheduled fundraising tour ?
(more…)

WASHINGTON DC – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday called for a halt to “dangerous” levels of violence in Libya after militia clashes in Tripoli closed the country’s main airport, destroyed most planes parked there, and prompted the United Nations to evacuate its staff.
In some of the worst violence in months, at least 15 people have been killed in clashes in Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi since Sunday, and a Libyan official said several Grad rockets hit the Tripoli International Airport on Monday, damaging the control tower.
With its new government struggling to impose order since the 2011 rebellion that ousted Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is sliding deeper into turmoil with rival brigades of former rebels battling for political and economic power. (more…)

Yeah, safe to say -at this point- Russia did it.

#BREAKING: Putin says airplane disaster would not have happened if Kiev had not renewed military operation against rebels in east Ukraine

— Reuters (@Reuters) July 17, 2014

#BREAKING: Russia's Putin says Kiev bears responsibility for crash of passenger plane because it was brought down in Ukraine: RIA

— Reuters (@Reuters) July 17, 2014

Remember this is NOT the first time Russia has shot down a passenger airplane and tried to deny it.   1983 KAL-007 took years before the “Soviets” admitted it.

The Israeli military launched a ground operation into Gaza late Thursday, the government said.  The much-anticipated operation follows some of the most intense fighting in the 10 days of bombings and airstrikes between Israel and Hamas.

FULL STATEMENT – press release issued by #Israeli military announcing it's initiation of ground operation in #Gaza pic.twitter.com/tnfpUfOpOR

— POWER987News (@POWER987News) July 17, 2014

Just now on @Channel2News: Egypt announces that Hamas is reponsible for this conflict.

— Jonathan Schanzer (@JSchanzer) July 17, 2014

https://twitter.com/DannyNis/statuses/489861421568512000
With Egypt’s el-Sisi supporting Benjamin Netanyahu against Hamas this time things might be substantially different. If Israel is allowed time to work through the border region used by Hamas terrorists the IDF can fully dismantle and destroy the network of underground border tunnels.