LIBIA, SIRIA, ISRAEL, RUSIA, PALESTINA

Top of the Agenda: Rumors Swirl over Libyan Defections The recent secret visit of Mohammed Ismail (NYT), a senior aide to one of Muammar al-Qaddafi's sons, to the UK has fueled the conjecture around the beleaguered Qaddafi regime following several departures of senior figures. The reason for the visit remains unclear, and it is reported that Ismail will return to Libya. The episode comes on the heels of the purported defection (TOI) of top Libyan official Ali Abdussalam el-Treki, and the confirmed defection of foreign minister Moussa Koussa. There were also rumors that the Libyan prime minister, speaker of parliament, and oil minister had quit the government. Pro-Qaddafi and anti-regime forces are locked in hostilities (al-Jazeera) on the outskirts of Libya's eastern oil town of Brega. The two opposing factions have been fighting across a strip of land between Ajdabiya and Bin Jawad for weeks. In congressional testimony, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen acknowledged the possibility of a protracted conflict and/or stalemate (FT). Gates said that if the decision was made to arm the rebels, "there are plenty of sources for it other than the United States." Y EEUU SE AHORRA SU PROPIO DESPLIEGUE. ¿ESTARÁ HILLARY DE ACUERDO? ¿Y OBAMA? The Wall Street Journal reports that rebel forces suffer from a lack of central command, poor training, and weapons deficiencies. NADA MENOS! Analysis: On his CFR blog Pressure Points, Elliott Abrams writes that during his congressional testimony, Gates overstepped his authority and undermined the president's role as commander in chief. LO CUAL YA ES UN PROBLEMA CRÓNICO PARA OBAMA In the New Yorker, Steve Coll advises coalition forces to refrain from arming the rebels because it falls outside of the humanitarian mission. In the Daily Beast, CFR's Leslie H. Gelb examines the tension between the White House and the Defense Department over the military strategy in Libya. Background: Read President Obama's speech to the nation on Libya on March 28, 2011. This UN Security Council resolution regarding Libya was passed on March 17, 2011. Multimedia: In this video from the Guardian, British Foreign Secretary William Hague confirms that his Libyan counterpart, Moussa Koussa, has defected to the UK, and asks, "Who will be next?"

MIDDLE EAST: Syria Awaits Friday Protests In what has been dubbed "Friday of Martyrs," Syrian opposition movements are calling for mass protests against the Assad regime (al-Jazeera) to follow prayers today. Assad defied public expectations in his speech on Wednesday, failing to announce sweeping reforms, including an immediate end to the country's emergency law. Syria's unrest isn't widespread enough to lead to a government ouster, with the Assad regime enjoying solid support from the country's Alawite leadership and Sunni majority, says expert Joshua Landis. Yemen: Analysts expect massive rival demonstrations to descend on the capital of Sanaa today, following two months of political stalemate between supporters and opponents of the Saleh regime (AFP). Israel: A senior advisor for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Russian officials on a secret trip to deter Moscow (Haaretz) from supporting the EU's plan for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. The two-state plan is expected to be proposed by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in two weeks. ¿HABRÁ REALMENTE ACUERDO ENTRE LOS TRES?