With Britain sending a warship to enforce its claim to Gibraltar, thousands of miles away, Bret Stephens implants his tongue firmly in cheek, and without even mentioning Israel mentions some of the other occupied territories in the world, and wonders why no one worries about them. In fact, in none of those cases, is the territory in question necessary for the occupier's security, a thought that appears lost on those who criticize Israel as an 'occupier' in Judea and Samaria, which I can literally see from my front door. (Those without access to the Journal's web site can find the full article here.
Rather than waste time and money on a fruitless diplomatic brawl,
Prime Minister David Cameron should say he’s prepared to relinquish
Gibraltar to Spain—on just one condition.
That would be a declaration by the Spanish government that it will
renounce its own claims to the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, which lie
opposite Gibraltar on the northern coast of Africa. Morocco has long
claimed these Spanish enclaves for itself, and in July 2002 it even sent
troops to seize an uninhabited Spanish islet near Ceuta. Madrid
responded a week later by deploying its navy, air force and special
forces to bloodlessly retake the island, but tensions still simmer.
Spaniards might object to returning the two cities on the grounds that
local inhabitants overwhelmingly consider themselves Spanish and wish to
remain a part of Spain. Then again, the last time Gibraltarians took a
vote on their sovereignty, 99% of them wished to remain British.
Of course, Madrid couldn’t just turn over Ceuta and Melilla without
asking Morocco to readjust its own territorial claims. Since 1975, Rabat
has occupied the Western Sahara—a territory larger than the U.K.—though
no other country recognizes Moroccan sovereignty. The Moroccan position
is contested by an Algerian-backed group called the Polisario Front,
which administers a “country” called the Sahrawi Arab Democratic
Republic.
But the leadership in Rabat could hardly be asked to deliver such a
political prize to its arch-rivals in Algiers without expecting some
commensurate sacrifice.
It’s been more than 50 years since Algerian independence led to the exodus of nearly one million pieds-noirs
and the seizure of their properties by Ben Bella’s government. And
though the French government did pay some small indemnities to their
displaced kinsmen, the Algerian government has never recognized, much
less atoned for, the injustice it did to an indigenous community that
had considered itself Algerian for generations.
Suspect in Toulouse attacks - an Algerian Muslim - arrested after 12-hour standoff; UPDATED
Reports from France indicate that after a 12-hour standoff, French police have arrested 24-year old Mohamed Merah, an Algerian Muslim, who is the prime suspect in the murder of four Jews - three of them children - and three French paratroopers in Toulouse, France.
France 24 quoted Mohammed Merah as saying, "I will go to prison with my head held high or die with a smile. Nothing else." It is not clear how the station obtained the quote.
A police source said the raid began at 3 am local time (0200 GMT).
The bodies of the four victims, Rabbi Jonathan Sandler, 30, his 3-year-old and 6-year-old sons Gabriel and Arieh and 8-year-old Myriam Monsonego, were laid to rest in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Merah said he was avenging 'Palestinian' children, but even western-looking 'Palestinian' 'Prime Minister' Salam Fayyad has had enough of that.
"It is time for these criminals to stop marketing their terrorist acts in the name of Palestine and to stop pretending to stand up for the rights of Palestinian children who only ask for a decent life," the Palestinian premier said in a statement.
...
Speaking to reporters, Interior Minister Claude Gueant said the suspect had told police he wanted "to avenge Palestinian children and to attack the French army."
...
Fayyad heaped condemnation on the attack. "This terrorist crime is condemned in the strongest terms by the Palestinian people and their children," he said. "No Palestinian child can accept a crime that targets innocent people."
Don't get your hopes up that this means the 'Palestinians' are moderating. First, Fayyad represents no one - he couldn't be elected chief bottle washer of the 'Palestinian Authority' even if the position were not already taken.
Second, the 'Palestinians' may fear losing French support as a result of a terror attack on French soil, and therefore may be seeking to distance themselves from the attack.
UPDATE 4:30 PM
The French Interior is now denying that Merah has been arrested.
It is rumored that there are differences within the administration, but it is still unclear who could be counseling silence, or for what purpose. To be sure, the Bush administration neutered Qaddafi with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, leaving him to believe he was next on Washington’s agenda. He dropped his nuclear weapons program and stopped sponsoring terrorism—but Qaddafi is not a U.S. ally, and with his treatment of his Libyan citizens he has shown he is the same old Qaddafi, a danger to his own people as well as the rest of the world.
The Obama administration would do well to exercise some moral clarity regarding a man whose personal demeanor has long symbolized the most repressively autocratic and obscurantist features of Arab political culture—a man who reportedly has now, among other things, dispatched his air force to put down the people he rules. The White House’s silence is perhaps explained by the idea that a public statement will do more harm than good.
“It is remarkable,” says Elliott Abrams, deputy national security adviser handling Middle East affairs in the George W. Bush White House, “that the administration appears to believe at the same time that our government is headed by a Nobel Peace Prize winner who is globally beloved, and that if he states his support for any cause it is immediately doomed or at least damaged. This may be some complex cognitive dissonance, but it appears more like simple confusion.”
The same is true of the White House’s decision to keep its support of Iranian protestors muted, for fear that the Islamic Republic might turn even more vicious. This policy seems to be a result of the Obama White House buying into the “kiss of death” fallacy. This line of thinking holds that since the U.S. is so hated in the Middle East, American support for any political cause in the region can only backfire by undermining the cause.
Others, however, are speaking out. Senators Joe Lieberman (I-Ct - won't we miss him when he retires in 2012) and John McCain (R-Az) issued a statement on Tuesday in which they called for a 'no-fly zone' over Libya, which would prevent Gadhafi from using his air force to attack his own people.
"The community of responsible nations must now take concrete steps to support the Libyan people as they seek their liberation from a brutal dictatorship. There is an array of measures that the United States and our global partners, including the European Union and African Union, should immediately pursue.
"Some Libyan diplomats have bravely called for a no-fly zone to stop the Qaddafi regime's use of airpower to attack Libyan civilians. We support this course of action. Other steps that should be considered include targeted sanctions and asset freezes against Libyan officials, an arms embargo, and the immediate suspension of Libya from international organizations.
"In recent weeks we have witnessed revolutions that have opened the door to freedom and democracy in Tunisia and Egypt. We hope and believe the Libyan people will have the same opportunity."
And Sarah Palin called on Obama to speak out for the Libyan people.
But nothing on the slaughter in Libya? The protests in many places in the Middle East affect regimes that have cooperated with the U.S. on issues from peace with Israel, fighting al Qaeda, hosting our military forces, or cooperating against Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Gaddafi’s Libya is different. For four decades, this tyrant has held power. Gaddafi was Osama before Osama hit the scene. He ordered the bombing of a disco in Germany to kill Americans. When he paid the price for that – after President Reagan rightly ordered retaliation – he directed his agents to blow up Pan Am Flight 103. They did, and more than 250 innocent people died. Gaddafi tried to come in from the cold in 2003 – scared by the demonstration effect of Iraq. But we should have no illusions. Gaddafi is a brutal killer and Libya – not to mention the world – would be better off if he were out of power. Now is the time to speak out. Speak out for the long-suffering Libyan people. Speak out for the victims of Gaddafi’s terror. NATO and our allies should look at establishing a no-fly zone so Libyan air forces cannot continue slaughtering the Libyan people. We should not be afraid of freedom, especially when it comes to people suffering under a brutal enemy of America. Here’s to freedom from Gaddafi for the people of Libya.
Earlier, Israel radio reported - based on a report in an Arabic newspaper published in London - that Gadhafi's air force is being supplemented with mercenaries from Mali and Niger (they also come from Chad and Sudan). The mercenaries are being brought to a staging area in Algeria, from which they are flown to various army bases in Libya. The mercenaries are each paid $2,000 per day.
Do you mean to tell me that no one can force Algeria to shut down that pipeline? Where are the Western leaders?
Someone has to get Obama out of his cone of silence.
Over the weekend, there were demonstrations in Yemen and Algeria, both of which turned violent.
Yemeni police with clubs yesterday beat anti-government protesters who were calling for the ouster of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, while thousands of Algerians defied an official ban on demonstrations in the capital and gathered in the city center for a pro-reform protest, the day after weeks of mass protests in Egypt succeeded in toppling the president.
The crackdown in Yemen reflected an effort to undercut a protest movement seeking fresh momentum from the developments in Egypt, where an 18-day uprising toppled Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
The US is in a delicate position because it advocates democratic reform, but wants stability in Yemen because it is seen as a key ally in its fight against Islamic militants.
Hundreds of protesters had tried to reach the Egyptian embassy in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital yesterday, but security forces pushed them back. Buses ferried ruling party members, equipped with tents, food and water, to the city’s main square to help prevent attempts by protesters to gather there.
There were about 5,000 security agents and government supporters in the Sana’a square named Tahrir, or Liberation. Egypt’s protesters built an encampment at a square of the same name in Cairo, and it became a rallying point for their movement.
Witnesses said police, including plainclothes agents, drove several thousand protesters away from Sanaa’s main square on Friday night. The demonstrators tore up pictures of Saleh and shouted slogans demanding his immediate resignation.
Saleh has been in power for three decades and tried to blunt unrest by promising not to run again. His term ends in 2013.
I have video of the violent demonstrations in Algeria. Let's go to the videotape.
Notice that the video stops when the guys with the riot clubs show up. Until then, it reminded me a bit of pictures I have seen of the Tokyo subway.
But there's more to it than that.
In Algeria, protest organizers estimated that about 10,000 had flooded downtown Algiers, where they skirmished with riot police attempting to block off streets and disperse the crowd. Some arrests were reported.
Protesters chanted slogans including “No to the police state” and “Bouteflika out,” a reference to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has been in power since 1999.
“It is a state of siege,” said Abdeslam Ali Rachedi, a university lecturer and government opponent.
Under Algeria’s long-standing state of emergency, protests are banned in Algiers, but the government’s repeated warnings for people to stay out of the streets apparently fell on deaf ears.
The success on the “people’s revolution” in Egypt and Tunisia, which pushed Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali into exile on Jan. 14, looked bound to fuel the hopes of those seeking change in Algeria, though many in this conflict-scarred country fear any prospect of violence following the brutal insurgency by Islamist extremists in the 1990s that has left an estimated 200,000 dead.
Is the Arab world finally starting to overthrow its autocratic rulers? What will the consequences be if it does? We may start to get answers to those questions very soon. There have been mass demonstrations and riots this week over food prices in Algeria, and especially in Tunisia. I have some video from Tunisia that you might be interested in watching. Unlike Iran a year and a half ago, the government in Tunisia does not seem to be strong enough to put this down.
This is from a demonstration on Wednesday in Sfax, where tens of thousands of people came out to sing the national anthem. Note that there are no cries - at least in this video - of Allahhu Akhbar. Sfax is on the east coast of Tunisia, just north of the Gulf of Gabes.
Let's go to the videotape.
And here's a demonstration in Hammamet, which is in northeastern Tunisia - apparently on the Mediterranean coast (it's not on the map).
Let's go to the videotape.
This is from a general strike in the city of Sousse, which is two hours south (in a straight line on the map) of Tunis on the Gulf of Hammamet.
Let's go to the videotape.
Finally, there's this video from a student strike in neighboring Algeria, in the town of Bejaia (it's not on the map, so I didn't embed a map).
Let's go to the videotape.
All of this is highly unusual for the Arab world. Let's hope it's the start of something.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
