Arab Spring has Turned Autumnal
by Jeffrey Goldberg
The Middle East is plunging toward crisis. The early promise of Tahrir Square has been supplanted by dismay that the Egyptian authorities -- such as they are -- allowed mobs to lay siege to the Israeli embassy in Cairo this past weekend.
Not long ago, Turkey and Israel were strategic partners. Now, relations between those two key U.S. allies are in ruins. When a recent United Nations report on the deadly confrontation between the Israeli military and a flotilla of Gaza-bound activists that sparked this crisis largely exonerated Israel, Turkey reacted by threatening to send warships to the eastern Mediterranean.
And the Jewish state faces a miserable month at the UN, where the Palestinians, who have refused to meet Israel at the negotiating table, are planning to seek recognition as an independent state, with potentially catastrophic consequences for both sides.
"As the months of Arab Spring have turned autumnal, Israel has increasingly become a target of public outrage, the New York Times" Ethan Bronner wrote this weekend from Jerusalem. "Some here say Israel is again being made a scapegoat, this time for unfulfilled revolutionary promises. But there is another interpretation, and it is the predominant one abroad - Muslims, Arabs and indeed many around the globe believe Israel is unjustly occupying Palestinian territories, and they are furious at Israel for it." (The third interpretation, which is supported by the history of the conflict, is that Arabs never were interested in peace with Jews. Since 1920s Arabs have been systematically and quite successfully undermining and destroying the inspiration for Jewish homeland - Eretz-Israel!)
It Obviously Got Very bad, Very Quickly
At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded in Cairo as security forces fought Christian protesters demonstrating against the burning of a church in the south of the country. The ruling military council has promised to protect all Egyptians while the country deals with a transition between a revolution and elections, but Egypt's minority Christians say the council is doing nothing to stop attacks on their churches and people by radical Islamists.
Islamist Winds in Egypt - No Jews Allowed
For the first time in recent history, Egypt has decided to completely bar Jews from visiting the tomb of Rabbi Yaakov Abuhatzeira, head of the dynasty that included Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, the famed "Baba Sali."
Food for Thought
by Steven Shamrak
I hate anti-Semitic stupidity of anti-Israel idiots! They have complete contempt of the facts of history, never question words or actions of Israels enemies as Arab propaganda, but always insist that Jews must prove every point they make in Israels defence, which are immediately dismissed and delegitimised as Zionist propaganda, without due consideration. Even pictures of the proposed by PA/PLO/Hamas map of
The Obama administration is in "intensive" discussion with lawmakers to release $200 million in blocked aid to the PA. Congressmen Gary Ackerman, a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, is saying that "if the PA is willing to place its fate in the hands of the UN, perhaps they should also seek aid from the UN." State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said "We still have some money in the pipeline..." US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta insisting the funds have helped improve
Settlement Freeze or No Talks
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said A return to negotiations requires a commitment by
Turkish warships have been harassing Israeli merchant vessels in waters off
"It is silly to talk about a Jewish state," French President Sarkozy said in reference to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's assertion no true peace could be made until officials in Ramallah accepted Israel's essential Jewish identity. "It would be like saying that this table is Catholic." (The idiot has compared state of Israel with a table! But it is not idiotic to ban wearing burkas to protect the French character of his country.)
PA officials slammed the freeze of $200 million in aid by US lawmakers while protesters hurl shoes at US diplomats in Ramallah.
Ayatollah Pulling Plug on Ahmadinejad
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the driving force behind
Quote of the Week:
"The PLO considers that the signing of the Declaration of Principles constitutes a historic event, inaugurating a new epoch of peaceful coexistence, free from violence and all other acts which endanger peace and stability. Accordingly, the PLO renounces the use of terrorism and other acts of violence and will assume responsibility over all PLO elements and personnel in order to assure their compliance, prevent violations and discipline violators." - Letter from Arafat to Prime Minister Rabin -
The Greater Goal Cannot be Accomplished in One Go
Following are excerpts from an interview with Abbas Zaki, member of the Fatah Central Committee, which aired on the Al-Jazeera network on
Abbas Zaki: The settlement should be based upon the borders of
If
Who is nervous, upset, and angry now? Netanyahu, Lieberman, and Obama... All those scumbags. Why even get into this? We should be happy to see
If we say that we want to wipe
