Arab Spring Winter
• The Muslim Brotherhood’s burning churches. Jonathan Tobin explains the significance:
The church attacks should remind the West that the stakes in the conflict in Egypt are high. If the U.S. seeks to cripple the military, they won’t be helping the cause of democracy. The Brotherhood may have used a seemingly democratic process to take power in 2012, but they would never have peacefully relinquished it or allowed their opponents to stop them from imposing their will on every aspect of Egyptian society.
As difficult as it may be for some high-minded Americans to understand, in this case it is the military and not the protesters in Cairo who are seeking to stop tyranny. Though the military is an unattractive ally, anyone seeking to cut off vital U.S. aid to Egypt should remember that the only alternative to it is the party that is currently burning churches.
• 9 Questions About Egypt You Were Too Embarrassed to Ask
• Spengler: What If the German Military Had Crushed the Nazi Party in 1936?
Suppose the German military had overthrown the democratically-elected leader of Germany and massacred his loyal followers, say, in 1936? The world, presumably, would have condemned the blatant use of force against an elected leader even if, hypothetically, a third of the German population already had taken to the streets to demand Hitler’s ouster. The Muslim Brothers are Nazis bearing a crescent rather than a swastika.
• For more commentary, see outraged staff-eds in the Washington Post, NY Times, LA Times, Times of London, The Guardian, and the Daily Telegraph. See also Ron Ben-Yishai‘s “Israel angles” on the street clashes.
Rest O’ the Roundup
• Iran’s new minister of justice, Mostafa Purmohammadi, was a key figure in the execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1998. According to Radio Free Europe, human rights groups refer to Purmohammadi as the “Minister of Death.”
The prospect of Mostafa Purmohammadi in the cabinet of newly elected President Hassan Rohani — who campaigned on a pledge to seek the release of political prisoners — has led rights groups and others to say he should be brought to justice, not dole it out.
• Israel airlifted 17 Jews out of Yemen. Jews lived in Yemen for more than 2,000 years. I hope the press coverage of this rescue doesn’t ruin the possibility of airlifting Yemen’s remaining 90 Jews. AP notes:
Jewish Agency official Ariel Di Porto says the “airlift was clandestine” because Yemen and Israel share no diplomatic ties.
• Brazil’s turning to Israeli drones to boost security at the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. Details at Bloomberg News.
(Image of British flag via Wikimedia Commons/Jonund, Purmohammadi via YouTube/Parvizja)
For more, see yesterday’s Israel Daily News Stream.
