• A Gaza man lit himself on fire at a Ministry of Social Affairs office in Jabalia. Maan News says the unidentified man was taken to hospital; no word yet on whether Israel Made Me Set Myself on Fire.
• NY Times blogger Issandr El Amrani weighs in on Egypt not taking more significant steps to ease the Gaza blockade.:
• Worth reading at YNet: Kasim Hafeez, a British Muslim, says that human rights community’s obsession with Israel does a disservice to real victims elsewhere. After all, “murdered Pakistani Christians may be not a trendy enough cause.”
Protest the oppression of women in Saudi Arabia and you’ll have my respect. Protesting against an Israeli theater group is pathetic.
Rest O’ the Roundup
• AFP: Syrian rebels say they began shelling Hezollah positions in Lebanon. It’ll be interesting to see if/how Hezbollah fires back. A proportionate response will be taken as a pathetic sign of weakness, but a disproportionate response won’t play well in Lebanon.
• A Hezbollah member’s on trial in Cyprus and the EU’s watching closely. The NY Times reports:
Mr. Yaacoub’s testimony offered unaccustomed insights from an active Hezbollah member into the militant group’s secret operations. But it carried potentially greater significance for the European Union, which has thus far resisted following Washington’s lead in declaring the group a terrorist organization. Experts say that a conviction here would substantially raise the pressure on the bloc for such a designation.
• Lionel Messi to promote peace in Israel.
• This from AP:
In a disheartening signal to world powers at upcoming Iran talks, Tehran has started installing high-tech machines at its main uranium enrichment site that are capable of accelerating production of reactor fuel and — with further upgrading — the core of nuclear warheads, diplomats said Wednesday.
• At least 31 killed as Damascus car bomb blows up near ruling Baath party’s headquarters. The nearby Russian embassy building also took some damage; none of the staff was reported injured. More at AP.
• Did Syria shoot down an Israeli drone? YNet says it depends on you believe; no response from Israel or Syria.
• JTA: Australian Zionist leader blasts claims that Israel programs recruit for the Mossad.
(Image of Hagel via YouTube/ABCNews, Messi via Flickr/prettyfriendship)
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
