Bethlehem’s Doing Better Than Big Media Lets On
December 24, 2012 16:13 by Pesach BensonArab Spring Winter
• Syrian rebels claim government used chemical weapons in Homs. The Times of Israel, citing Al Jazeera, writes:
. . .ten people suffered serious injuries from the chemical attack, including blindness and paralysis, and over 50 more people suffered other injuries.
Opposition activists posted a video online that they claimed shows a victim of the alleged chemical attack suffering from breathing difficulties.
As if chemical weapons aren’t enough, Syrian jets bombed a bakery in Halfaya as hungry civilians queued for bread. CNN quoted the opposition putting the death toll at more than 100.
• With Egypt’s new constitution approved, the secular opposition is gearing up for the next stage. NY Times coverage.
In a news conference on Sunday, opposition leaders called the charter illegitimate and vowed to use any peaceful means available to prevent it from being carried out. “This is a constitution that lacks the most important prerequisite for a constitution: consensus,” said Hamdeen Sabahi, a leftist and former presidential candidate. “This means we can’t build our future based on this text at all.”
• Robert Fisk looks back on 2012 and the Mideast. Best thing I can say about the column is that it made for a nice word cloud.
Iranian Atomic Urgency
• How many times have we heard “Next year is the tipping point for the US to attack Iran.” Dennis Ross makes that prediction for 2013, explaining to Jackson Diehl (Washington Post) why the coming year will be different:
Ross, who left the Obama White House at the end of 2011, concedes that prognosticators of an Iran crisis have a long losing streak. His reasons that next year will be different boil down to three: an approaching Iranian “breakout” capacity; Obama’s stated determination to prevent it; and the slow emergence of an economic and political climate in Iran that could prompt Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to change course.
• A Financial Times staff-ed (via Google News) weighs in on the Arab Spring, Iran and Israel.
Rest O’ the Roundup
• BBC: The Libyan government says it’s preparing to release its files on the Lockerbie bombing, but it may be a year until that happens. I wonder what we’ll learn.
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
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Bethlehem’s Doing Better Than Big Media Lets On | Blogs about Israel aggregation
10:29 pm
Dec 24, 2012
[...] Continued on Page 2 [...]
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Deavman
10:41 pm
Dec 24, 2012
“I understand that we will not obtain peace without democracy, or have democracy without peace.”
Sooooo, which one do we start with ????
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hfiers
12:47 am
Dec 25, 2012
Regarding “Human Rights Watch” (Israel and the Palestinians). It’s about time! Perhaps this news article will be read around the world to begin to open peoples’ eyes to the real truth! We need to publicize the trails and tribulations of Israeli society when it comes to its “neighbors.” Deavman: Should Israel ever attain peace with its neighbors, it will not be a peace of democracy, since democracy, as we live and know it, does not exist in the Middle East (outside of Israel). A peace of deterrance is the only peace we can hope for. Israel’s strong military, political, and strategic presence will affirm its future existance.
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hfiers
12:51 am
Dec 25, 2012
All interested people should read Netanyahu’s book, A Place Among the Nations (Bantam). Excellent to educate yourselfs on the history, present up to 1993, and future of Israel militarily, politically, and strategically. Best book I have read yet!
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barbara japhet
1:50 am
Dec 25, 2012
please check pout the totally unnecessary slam on NBC nightly news
tonight.
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X
3:32 am
Dec 25, 2012
Had no idea PLO has an office in D.C., but doesn’t surprise me. Who pays for it?
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R. Cross
11:55 am
Dec 26, 2012
This world – especially in the Middle East as it is popularly called – can use more people who have the courage and idealism of Maikel Nabil Sanad! May he be blessed!
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Michael Z.
3:25 pm
Dec 29, 2012
I’ve read an article on NRA/Israel, and it is also far from reality. I would take response from guys of Israeli Foreign Ministry with pinch of salt (unless they are working in Dublin:)) – lot of lefties in there.
Security guards do prevent terror acts as does presence of armed (mostly off-duty) soldiers on streets. And while Shabak should be praised for elimination of street terror, role of guns in hands of security personel is very important! And, anyway, methods of Israeli security services are impossible to apply in States anyway with their political correctness…
I also would recommend to HR to be more attentive to articles you guys rely in your digests.
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