From the LA Times: JERUSALEM “” Hoping to prevent the Israeli government from demolishing synagogues in recently abandoned settlements of the Gaza Strip, the nation’s Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to ask Palestinian officials to safeguard the buildings. The court is weighing an appeal that argues that Israel would violate Jewish […]
Egyptian polls open in first competitive presidential election
Hard to imagine a situation in which it looks like good news that Mubarak will win, but here we are. From the Guardian: Egyptians are voting today in the country’s first-ever contested presidential election, with President Hosni Mubarak almost certain to win. The government has been touting the election as a major democratic reform and […]
U.S. Forces Give Iraqis Full Control Of Najaf
From the Bandar Beacon, aka the Washington Post: NAJAF, Iraq — The U.S. military pulled hundreds of troops out of the southern city of Najaf on Tuesday, transferring security duties to Iraqi forces and sticking to a schedule that the United States hopes will allow the withdrawal of tens of thousands of its forces by […]
Arafat Cousin Who Formerly Led Security Forces in Gaza Shot Dead
From the Washington Post, or as Hugh Fitzgerald calls it, the Bandar Beacon: JERUSALEM — The former head of general security in Gaza, Moussa Arafat, was killed early Wednesday when gunmen stormed his Gaza City home and shot him, Palestinian officials and witnesses said. The incident threatened to aggravate tensions among Palestinian factions now struggling […]
Iraq leader says Saddam “confesses” to killings
From Reuters: BAGHDAD – Ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein “confessed” to releasing orders for executions and a campaign against Kurds in which thousands of people are said to have been killed, President Jalal Talabani said. But Talabani did not say whether Saddam had actually admitted to committing any crimes, or merely acknowledged that he was […]
Iranian President Gets Terror Law Exception
Memo to terrorist heads of state or heads of terrorist states: Welcome to New York, enjoy your stay, and please don’t leave a mushroom cloud with us when you leave. From ABC News: The State Department says Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a terrorist, but will grant him a visa anyway, ABC News has learned. […]
Bush appeals to public not to waver in Iraq
From Reuters: SAN DIEGO – President George W. Bush, facing waning support for his Iraq policy, on Tuesday appealed to Americans not to waver because of the rising death toll and said U.S. credibility was at stake. With nearly 1,900 U.S. troops killed in Iraq and anti-war protesters trailing him from his secluded Texas ranch […]
Pope meets controversial critic of Islam
An interesting development from AFP, with thanks to Stephania. VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI held a meeting at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo with Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci, a strident critic of Islam, Vatican sources confirmed. The 76-year-old writer, who describes herself as an atheist Christian and was sued in Italy for insulting […]
Pipes: Islamists, Get Out
Daniel Pipes writes in the New York Sun and his website about the growing anti-dhimmitude in Europe, the UK and Australia and asks, “where are the Americans?” As the full implications of the London terrorist attacks by domestic jihadis sink in, Westerners are speaking out about the problem of radical Islam with new clarity and […]
Iraq’s doomed police training
Paula Broadwell writes in the Boston Globe, with thanks to Hugh Fitzgerald. IN SEPTEMBER 2003, the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs constructed the Jordan International Police Training Center outside of Amman to train Iraq law enforcement personnel. Sixteen nations provide a total of 352 police trainers for the center. The camp has […]