Israel has opened the gates of Hell

[Undertoad]

Egyptians aren't taking this lying down!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20475319

[Undertoad]

http://www.france24.com/en/20121123-...-offices-egypt

Muslim Brotherhood offices torched, Morsi on defensive

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi defended his latest decree granting himself sweeping powers before supporters in Cairo as anti-Morsi demonstrators set fire to Muslim Brotherhood offices in cities across Egypt on Friday.

As enraged demonstrators torched Muslim Brotherhood offices in several Egyptian cities, a defiant Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi defended his recent decree granting himself sweeping powers before a crowd of supporters outside the presidential palace in Cairo Friday.

[Undertoad]

Don't miss -- Buzzfeed: The 10 Most Striking Photographs From Today's Protests In Egypt.

Great photos, you can feel the wrath of the crowd and there are even women protesters risking themselves. There have been sexual assaults of women protesters before, and so the one woman looking all western and wearing jewelry is kind of outrageous in a way.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/summeranne/t...rotests-in-egy

[Lamplighter]

As I follow this on US media, I get the idea that it has little or nothing to do
with the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
...maybe just a coincidence of timing on which our media has imposed a connection.

Morsi is accused of moving more towards a Islamic governing control,
and (more or less) ignoring the large number of minor political groups.
But as you say, UT, "Egypt still has not delivered a constitution
that was due last September at the latest. Nothing official defined
powers of each branch - Judiciary, Parliament, or President."

But in the chaos of such a revolution, it doesn't take much to re-ignite
a smoldering fire.
Those minority political groups certainly want to maintain their influence in the new government.
Unfortunately, some people (especially young men) turn immediately to more destruction of their physical world.

I'm at a point of saying it's too early to judge what Morsi intends,
and whether it is good or bad (for Egypt, for the middle east, or for the US)
At least, I'm not at all sure the US really understands who/what this man is about.

Maybe he's not quite as good a politician as he needs to be.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Here's a pretty good description of what he's done to piss them off so badly.

Egypt's president on Thursday issued constitutional amendments that placed him above judicial oversight and ordered the retrial of Hosni Mubarak for the killing of protesters in last year's uprising.

Mohammed Morsi also decreed immunity for the Islamist-dominated panel drafting a new constitution from any possible court decisions to dissolve it, a threat that had been hanging over the controversial assembly.
~snip~
The Egyptian leader also decreed that all decisions he has made since taking office in June and until a new constitution is adopted and a new parliament is elected — which is not expected before next spring — are not subject to appeal in court or by any other authority. He also barred any court from dissolving the Islamist-led upper house of parliament, a largely toothless body that has also faced court cases.

[tw]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Here's a pretty good description of what he's done to piss them off so badly.

So what exactly pissed them off? As stated in that quote

The Egyptian leader also decreed that all decisions he has made since taking office in June and until a new constitution is adopted and a new parliament is elected — which is not expected before next spring — are not subject to appeal in court or by any other authority.

The constitution was not delivered last summer. So they pushed back its delivery date until last September. It still was not delivered. And no reason exists to believe they will have one next spring.

We can easily speculate Morsi is putting pressure on the Constitutional Convention to get off their ass. In short, we have no idea what his intent is. We only know others became emotional and resorted to violence.

[xoxoxoBruce]

You can "easily speculate" all you want, the Egyptians are pissed about what he's done, as described in the article.

[DanaC]

Behind the news stories, are people:

My friend and colleague Jehad Mashhrawi is usually the last to leave our Gaza bureau. Hard-working but softly spoken, he often stays late, beavering away on a laptop that is rarely out of arm's reach.

He has a cool head - unflappable, when others like me are flapping around him. He is a video editor and just one of our local BBC Arabic Service staff who make the office tick.

But on the Wednesday before last - only an hour or so after Gaza's latest war erupted with Israel's killing of Hamas military commander Ahmed al-Jabari - Jehad burst out of the editing suite screaming.

He sprinted down the stairs, his head in his hands, his face ripped with anguish.

He had just had a call from a friend to tell him the Israeli military had bombed his house and that his 11-month-old baby boy Omar was dead.

[snip]



Standing in what is left of his burnt-out home this week, Jehad showed me a photo on his mobile phone
It was of a cheeky, chunky, round-faced little boy in denim dungarees, chuckling in a pushchair, dark-eyed with a fringe of fine brown hair pushed across his brow.

"He only knew how to smile," Jehad told me, as we both struggled to hold back the tears.

"He could say just two words - Baba and Mama," his father went on.

Also on Jehad's phone is another photo. A hideous tiny corpse. Omar's smiling face virtually burnt off, that fine hair appearing to be melted on to his scalp.

Jehad's sister-in-law Heba was also killed.

"We still haven't found her head," Jehad said.

And his brother is critically ill in hospital with massive burns. His chances are not good.

Jehad has another son Ali, four years old, who was slightly injured. He keeps asking where his baby brother has gone.
[snip]

Omar was not a terrorist.

Of course every civilian death on either side - not just Omar's - is tragic. The United Nations says its preliminary investigation shows that 103 of the 158 people killed in Gaza were civilians.

Of those, 30 were children - 12 of whom were under the age of 10. More than 1,000 people were injured.

The Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said every non-combatant death or injury was tragic and an "operational failure".

In Israel, too, there were fatalities: four civilians and two soldiers. There were also many injuries. But the fact the Israeli Ambulance Service was also reporting those suffering from anxiety and bruises is an indication of the asymmetric nature of the conflict.

Jehad's baby Omar was probably the first child to die in this latest round of violence.

Among the last was a six-year-old boy, Abdul Rahman Naeem, who was killed by an Israeli attack just hours before the ceasefire was announced.

Abdul Rahman's father, Dr Majdi, is one of the leading specialist doctors at Gaza City's Shifa Hospital.

The first he knew of his son's death was when he went to treat a patient, only to find it was his own boy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20466027

Jehad with his baby son:

[Ibby]

UN General Assembly votes to recognize the state of Palestine on a 138-9 vote

The U.N. General Assembly approves a resolution giving implicit recognition to Palestinian statehood despite threats by the United States and Israel to punish the Palestinian Authority by withholding funds for the West Bank government.

[BigV]

I don't understand the United State's opposition to what happened at the United Nations today regarding Palestine's change of status from observer to state.

[DanaC]

Because it puts you at odds with Israel. Britain has a similar, though not as deep, problem with upsetting Israel.

[Undertoad]

The UN created Israel. What could possibly go wrong?

[DanaC]

hahahaha

Altogether now:


[sings]'Dr Pepper, what's the worst that could happen?'[/sings]

[Big Sarge]

I believe Israel should totally assimilate Palestine. Make them all Israelis and give them a vote. If they don't like it, they can get the hell out of Dodge. Of course, this is my biasis based upon religion and upbringing.

[Rhianne]

I believe Palestine should totally assimilate Israel. Make them all Palestinians and give them a vote. If they don't like it, they can get the hell out of Dodge. Of course, this is my biasis based upon religion and upbringing.