News excerpts on Middle East life

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Change of Heart in Cairo - Noha El-Hennawy
As the border with Gaza was sealed off, the Egyptian state-owned media launched a campaign apparently seeking to overturn public sympathy for the Palestinians. Newspapers have become harsh on the Palestinians, with front-page news about Palestinians shooting at Egyptian soldiers, weapons smuggling, terrorism and reports of false currency in Sinai, posing a threat to Egypt's national security. The new content replaces earlier headlines that showed sympathy with the Palestinians.
Rose-al-Youssef, a state-owned paper known for being the most vocal mouthpiece of the regime, has spearheaded the anti-Palestinian campaign. The paper even denied that Gaza had a humanitarian crisis, hinting that Gazans were well-off. Abdullah Kamal, the paper's editor in chief, wrote, "Each [Gazan] comer spent an average of $260 in three days...the total spending during that period reached $220 million. These figures raise real questions about the financial situation in Gaza." (Los Angeles Times)
See also Egypt Threatens to Break the Legs of Gaza Infiltrators
Egypt said on Thursday it would no longer tolerate Palestinians infiltrating the country from Gaza, and threatened to break the legs of anyone crossing the Rafah border illegally. "Anyone who breaches the border will have their legs broken," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit told the official MENA news agency. Abul Gheit also reproached Hamas for firing rockets into Israel, and said some rockets misfire and hit the Gaza Strip itself, wounding Palestinians. (AFP)

Lebanon in Confrontation with Syria, Iran: Hariri - Tom Perry
The leader of Lebanon's pro-Western majority in parliament said on Thursday the country was in direct confrontation with Syria and Iran, which back Hizbullah in its conflict with the Beirut government. Saad al-Hariri, whose coalition is supported by the U.S., said Syria and Iran and "their local tools" were seeking to "impose a terror, security and political siege" on Lebanon. Hariri's father, former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, was killed by a truck bomb on Feb. 14, 2005. (Reuters)

Israel: Threats from Gaza Must End Before Establishing Palestinian State - Herb Keinon
A solution to threats from Gaza will have to be found before the establishment of a Palestinian state, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told James Jones, the U.S. special envoy for Middle East security, on Thursday. Jones is in the process of drawing up a plan about how to provide security when Israel leaves large swaths of the West Bank under a peace agreement. Government officials said that, considering the situation today in Gaza, an Israeli withdrawal from large parts of the West Bank seems like "science fiction." (Jerusalem Post)
See also Israel to U.S.: We Must Respond to Increasing Rocket Fire from Gaza
Foreign Minister Livni told Gen. Jones: "The firing of Kassam rockets has not abated, and we are currently facing a significant increase. The necessary action to be taken regarding security issues is not only in relation to what will be written in a future agreement, and we must relate to our response to the situation on the ground right now."
"The situation in Gaza must be taken into account in any political process - especially in light of the effects of this process on future security arrangements. This is not a territorial issue - we have withdrawn from Gaza, and the rocket attacks continue and intensify. A real response must be given to the threats from Gaza prior to the establishment of a Palestinian state - as long as the Palestinians see Gaza as part of the state they intend to establish. A solution to Israel's security requirements is not an obstacle to peace - it is a basic condition of any peace agreement." (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Syria Upgrades Missiles with Iranian Help - Barak Ravid
Syria, with Iranian support, has successfully developed a new surface-to-surface missile that would enable it to target with greater accuracy Israeli installations - such as airports, ports and factories - according briefings recently presented to senior ministers. Syria has upgraded the Iranian-made Zelzal surface-to-surface missile which has an operational range of 250 km. and is capable of carrying an especially large warhead. At the same time, Syria has acquired the Russian-made Pantsyr air defense missile system that can pose a substantial threat to Israeli air force aircraft. Damascus has also procured modern anti-tank missiles.
According to Israeli estimates, Syria has tens of thousands of short-range rockets, as well as Scud-C and Scud-D missiles with ranges of 500-800 km., which can effectively strike every part of Israel. However, Mossad head Meir Dagan told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that at this stage there are no indications that Damascus has any plans to initiate a military action against Israel. (Ha'aretz)

Palestinian Rockets Damage Greenhouses in Israel - Shmulik Hadad
Palestinians in Gaza launched nine Kassam rockets toward Israeli communities on Friday. Two of the rockets landed in Netiv Ha'asara and damaged several greenhouses, while one of the rockets crashed into Ashkelon's industrial zone. (Ynet News)

Iranian Regime Fears Its Own Citizens - Editorial
President Ahmadinejad of Iran and his hard-line allies rail against the U.S. and other external "enemies," but who they really fear are their own citizens. The president and his crowd are increasingly nervous about losing next month's parliamentary elections, and next year's presidential vote. Their cowardly solution? Keep potential rivals off the ballot and silence anyone who can give Iran's people a voice - like Zanan, the country's premier women's magazine shut down last week.
In an era of $100 a barrel oil, Iran's people are struggling with food shortages, high unemployment and spiraling inflation. Ahmadinejad has tried to divert attention from those failures with threats against Israel, Holocaust denials, and a confrontation with the UN Security Council over nuclear ambitions. Iranians are not so easily fooled.
The only threat Zanan posed was to the regime's authoritarian and anti-feminist pathology. Ahmadinejad may be able to stifle debate, for a while longer. If Iran's mullahs think that he's strengthening the country, they don't understand Iran's people. (New York Times)

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