"Most officials think that relations with the Arabs are gradually going to get
worse, perhaps for decades, before democracy really takes root and the Arab
public, perhaps, will be ready to accept the Jewish state. The challenge for
Israel is how to avoid inflaming Arab public opinion, a newly important factor,
while protecting the country. " Ignatius
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Ignatius' Israeli friends are right to be fearful of revolutions that seem to unleash Islamist forces that have as their "raison d'etre" the elimination of Israel as an insult to Islam and the 'Umma. The game has not been played out in Libya but Libya is a special case in terms of smallness of population and percentage of people educated abroad.
Al-Ahram has a story on-line that government receipts will be much smaller this year than they were under Mubarak "the terrible." Let's see, how does that relate to all the billions that the Mubaraks stole from Egypt? Hmmm! That's the way to cover the government deficit! They could torture the Mubaraks to find the people's money.
The Israelis prefer Bashar Assad? How can that be? Perhaps HC can fly by Tel Aviv to explain why they are wrong.
Now Mursi has reinstated the Islamist parliament. There must be great satisfaction in Foggy Bottom about how well things are going in Cairo. pl
