As Syria’s rebels agree to peace talks on the condition Asaad has no role in the transitional government, Israel’s continuing big stick policy provokes rhetorical reactions in Syria and around the region, but no real consequences for Israel:
- Syrian Opposition Says It Is Ready for Conditional Peace Talks (Guardian)
- Israeli Silence on Syria Is Strategic (Reuters)
- Israeli Warplanes Fly over Lebanon (Guardian)
- Syrian Rebels Slam Assad Inaction on Israeli Raid (AP / abc News)
- Syria’s Allies Warn of Retaliation for Israeli Airstrikes, but Threats Likely Hollow (Christian Science Monitor)
On the same day that the U.N. publishes its findings on Israeli war crimes in violation of the Geneva conventions …
- UN Report: Israel’s ‘Creeping Annexation’ of Territory Is Illegal (Christian Science Monitor)
… Lindsey Graham ironically challenges Chuck Hagel to “[n]ame one dumb thing we’ve been goaded into doing due to pressure by the Israeli or Jewish lobby.” For starters, Mr. Graham, how about your attempt to intimidate Chuck Hagel?
- Chuck Hagel Mauled in Bizarro World of US Senate (juancole.com)
With the recent violence threatening Egypt’s efforts to establish democracy and the opposition has renounced violence and the government wants talks without preconditions:
- Egyptians Work to Reclaim a Tahrir Tainted by Sexual Assault (Christin Science Monitor)
- Egypt Unraveling as Demonstrations Against Muslim Brotherhood Continue (Haaretz)
- Muslim Cleric Tries to Bring Calm to Egypt (Business Day / Yahoo)
- Muslim Bros. Wants Unconditional Talks (UPI)
- Activist: Egypt’s Political Talks a ‘Good Start,’ But Trust Remains Out of Reach (Voice of Russia)
Robert Spencer is typical of those who “want the First Amendment to work only in their favor. They cry foul any time anyone writes something critical of their work, condemning the supposed infringement on their freedom of speech, yet they turn around and try to bully critical voices in far more aggressive ways than any action directed at them:”
“University of North Carolina sociologist Charles Kurzman … doesn’t deny that law enforcement plays a role in disrupting and deterring homegrown U.S. Muslim terrorism…. But he remains surprised by the disconnect between the scale of the terrorism problem and the scale — and expense — of the government’s response”:
Between a rock and a hard place, the Mali natives are glad to be rid of the puritanical Islamists, but now fear massacre at the hands of the army:
- Timbuktu Residents Say ‘Thank You God’ that Rebel Islamists Are Gone (Christian Science Monitor)
- As Mali’s Islamists Retreat, Tuareg Civilians Fear Vengeful Army’s Reprisals (Guardian)
Organisers of this event … reject the notion that women only wear hijabs at the insistence of a father or a radical member of the family. This day, then, is about showing the world that women can choose the hijab willingly”:
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