The late Israeli prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, was fond of pointing out that Israel “lives in a bad neighborhood.” The popular revolt in Egypt reminds us of the enduring truth of that comment.
A leader of Egypt\’s Muslim Brotherhood said any post-Mubarak government should dissolve its peace treaty with Israel.
Tens of thousands of Egyptians prayed in Cairo\’s Liberation Square on Friday for an immediate end to President Hosni Mubarak\’s 30-year rule, hoping a million more would join them in what they called the \”Day of Departure.\”
The Obama administration is discussing with Egyptian officials a proposal for President Hosni Mubarak to resign immediately and turn over power to a transitional government headed by Vice President Omar Suleiman with the support of the Egyptian military, administration officials and Arab diplomats said Thursday.
Pro-Egyptian government counter-protesters in Cairo are screaming \”Jew!\” at foreign journalists, apparently spurred by Egyptian state TV accusations that Israeli spies are behind the protests.
Egypt\’s internal stability is on a razor’s edge 10 days after hundreds of thousands of demonstrators began to take to the streets to speak out against rising food prices, unemployment and political unrest. Major city squares in the Egyptian capital of 18 million people as well as in the nation’s other cities have turned into encampments for Egyptian armed forces and tanks, while the regime of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has taken measures to ensure that the demonstrators cannot reach each other, including blocking social networking websites, such as Twitter and Facebook.
An Egyptian army tank moved against supporters of President Hosni Mubarak as they hurled rocks at anti-Muburak protesters in central Cairo, prompting cheers from demonstrators battered by overnight fighting that killed six.
Israel must be prepared for any outcome in Egypt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset, \”by reinforcing the might of the State of Israel.\”
When it rains in the Middle East, it’s a pain – I got soaked walking to Mandel this morning – but everybody is happy about it because we need rain. One of the special things about the land of Israel is the fragile, quite direct connection between rainfall and the health of the land. Rain is seen as a divine blessing:
Supporters of President Hosni Mubarak early Thursday opened fire on protesters demanding he step down, killing five and wounding dozens more in what many saw as an attempted government-backed crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations.
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