Israel and the Palestinians
• Explosion along Gaza border injures three Israeli soldiers. More at YNet.
• Hamas captured that crocodile living in the Gaza sewers. Although the Palestinians ripped up their own sewage pipes to make rockets, AFP writes:
Gaza’s water sewerage system has deteriorated over the years, notably because of the Israeli blockade on the Palestinian territory and its devastating 22-day war on militant rocket fire launched in December 2008.
• Palestinians outraged as Israeli businessman Rami Levy joins Nablus economic summit. Maan News says the gathering of Arab, Turkish and European notables was hosted by Palestinian tycoon Munib al-Masri.
• Shimon Peres is on his way to Russia for a state visit. And Israeli officials announced that Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, will visit Israel this week.
Arab Spring Winter
• A stray Syrian bullet struck an IDF jeep. The Jerusalem Post says nobody was injured. Over the weekend, Syrian tanks fighting rebels were in the Golan demilitarized zone for several hours.
• The Syrian army continues shelling the Yarmouk refugee camp. Despite official neutrality over the Syrian civil war, the refugees were unable to keep their heads down and their mouths shut. More at AP.
• An Egyptian soccer player is considering playing in Israel. According to the Egypt Independent (via Tom Gross), Mahdy Suleiman, a goalkeeper received an offer from Hapoel Tel Aviv. Why would he — and other players — consider playing in Israel, despite the risk of working for those Zionists?
Premier League football activity has been suspended in Egypt since the Port Said football violence, in which at least 72 Ahly fans, particularly members of the group Ultras Ahlawy, were killed after fans of the club Masry stormed the pitch at Port Said Stadium.
Some workers in the football sector, including players, administrators or journalists, complain about financial difficulties as a result of the activity halt.
• Can you imagine the outrage if Israelis treated African migrants like Lebanese are treating Syrian migrants? According to McClatchy News:
“We’ve seen the army and the police detaining and roughing up a number of Syrian workers. Most recently, the Lebanese army beat up 72 workers; most of them were Syrian,” Houry said. “The Lebanese army rounded up the migrant men in the neighborhood and decided to ‘teach them a lesson’ instead of doing police work.”
• The Saudi king appointed Prince Mohammed bin Nayef as the kingdom’s new interior minister. He’s in his early 50s, which is young by Saudi royal standards. That would explain this Wall St. Journal headline (via Google News):
Next-Generation Prince to Head Saudi Security
• Jordan faces energy crisis as Egypt reduces gas in violation of previous agreements. According to The Media Line, Jordan’s, uh, over a barrel because “Egyptian gas accounts for 90 percent of energy sources needed to generate electricity in Jordan.”
Measures may include blackouts, driving restrictions and raising electricity prices . . .
Official figures show that the kingdom has to pay nearly seven million dollars million daily due to Egypt’s refusal to honor the deal.
Egypt should, according to the deal, pump 250 million cubic feet of natural gas daily, but less than 40 million is being received by Jordan.
(Image of crocodile via Flickr/Rene Mensen, soccer via Flickr/Katie@!)
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