Violence escalates in Tunisia and Algeria

Algeria

Violence in both the above neighbouring states has spiralled in recent days as the regimes have resorted to increasingly desperate and bloody tactics to bring them under control. Al-Jazeera is now reporting that as many as 20 people have been killed in Tunisia in the past 24-hours as the government has resorted to using live-bullets against its own people. A real sign of desperation on the part of the Ben Ali dictatorship if ever there was one. AFP has also been reporting on events and the mainstream media are now starting to take a greater interest as the violence escalates, see here and here. There is currently a media blackout in Tunisia but local blogs place the death toll much higher.

Some scenes of the rioting can be viewed here.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Algeria protests are continuing unabated and have spread with rioting taking place in Skikda, Sale, Constantine, Batna, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Tebessa, Guelma and Annaba. The official state media have reported two deaths. The rioting is both countries is being driven by the same factors: High unemployment and rising prices, combined with frustration at political systems run by a small cabal of politicians and their military and business cronies. More info on the situation in Algeria can be found here.

p.s. Here is some interesting analysis by Marc Lynch on the recent protests in the MENA region, including the riots in Jordan and events in Egypt.

Israel

Female Israeli activist could be sent to prison for praying at Wailing Wall

An Israeli activist who defied orthodox Jewish custom by leading a group of women in open prayer at Jerusalem's Wailing Wall has been told to expect years in prison for breaching the peace. Read the story here.

Source: The Telegraph

US Incompetence in Iraq

'How the US let al-Qaida get its hands on an Iraqi weapons factory'

There's an exlusive extract in the Guardian today from Dominic Streatfeild's new book - A History of the World since 9/11. Click here to get a flavour of the sheer scale of US incompetence/negligence. This extract focuses on the failure of the US to protect major weapons depots, the contents of which were subsequently looted and sold on to al-Qaeda. Oooops.

Restless times

Protests grip the Arab World - but will they have an impact?

There is gathering specualtion about the protests in Tunisia, Jordan and now Algeria and whether or not - as Marc Lynch puts it - they represent an 'Arab Spring' similar to what took place in lebanon in 2005 (and then fizzled out). Personally, I doubt it. The regimes in question have been quick to act to supress the demostrations and censor the media, albeit an increasing difficult task in the age of social media. The powers that be will be quick to grease the palms of the military and security services upon which they rely. And as long as they are able to find the funds to do that (kindly supplied by foreign donors. EU assistance to Tunisia 2011-2013: Euro 240 million) then it will be business as usual.

Also, we have been here before. Protests in the Arab world are nothing new. The 1990s witnessed fairly widespread unrest as bread riots swept through the region. Although this lead to a few cosmetic reforms, for example the restoration of parliamentary elections in Jordan, it did not change the status quo of authoritariansm.


But hey, who knows? While I don't expect any regimes to fall in the near future, things are definitely changing and civil activism is growing, particulalry among the educated middle classes. The impact of social media and satellite TV will serve to drive this process and sustain and spread the pervading sense of frustration among Arab youth, frustrated over lack of employment opportunities and repressive political systems.

A rather optimistic Brian Whitaker has an interesting take on this here.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia captures Israeli 'spy vulture'



The large bird, which was carrying a GPS transmitter and a tag bearing the identification code R65 from Tel Aviv University, strayed into rural Saudi Arabian territory at some point last week, according to a report in the Israeli daily Ma'ariv.

Residents and local reporters told Saudi Arabia's Al-Weeam newspaper that the matter seemed to be linked to a "Zionist plot" and swiftly alerted security services. The bird has since been placed under arrest.

The accusations went viral, according to the Israeli Ha'aretz newspaper, with hundreds of posts on Arabic-language websites and forums claiming that the "Zionists" had trained the birds for espionage.

The incident comes amid growing paranoia among Israel's neighbours over the nation's growing military might.

Several weeks ago an Egyptian official reportedly claimed that a shark that attacked tourists off the coastal resort of Sharm el Sheikh was also acting on behalf of the Israeli spy service.

Source: The Telegraph

Trouble in Jordan

Riot in Jordan sparks mass arrests




More than 20 people have been arrested following riots in a southern Jordanian city that erupted after two people were killed in a brawl, police said yesterday.

Col Aref Wishah said the neighbourhood in Maan where the melee took place had been cordoned off and more suspects were being questioned. He promised further arrests.

"We closed the entrances of the city and the manhunt will continue until we capture all those involved in the rioting and vandalism," Col Wishah said.

The government said calm had been restored in Maan, 220km south of the capital Amman, a day after protesters ran riot after the funeral of two people who were killed on Monday by unknown assailants.

Hundreds of masked demonstrators set fire to municipal and court buildings, as well as to police vehicles and posts, civilian cars, shops and a petrol station, said police, who used tear gas to disperse the mob.

Residents told the Reuters news agency that the tumult followed the funeral of two workers from prominent Maan tribes who were believed to have been killed in a labour dispute on Monday by Bedouins from the powerful Hwaitat tribe.

They said Hwaitat tribe members were angered that rival tribes from the city of Maan were employed in their hometown in Shidiya, nearly 70km south of Maan, to build a multi-million dollar water project. Most of the businesses attacked in Maan on Tuesday belonged to members of the Hwaitat tribe. Government officials warned against attempts to foment further unrest.

"We will not tolerate any [party] who will seek to take advantage of the incidents in Maan governorate and disrupt the security and the stability of its residents," Saad Hayel Srour, the interior minister, told Jordan state TV on Tuesday.

The impoverished city has been the scene of violent civil unrest in recent years, and Muslim fundamentalists have long been active among its residents, many of whom carry weapons and have resisted pressure to disarm.

In 1996, riots erupted when the government eased subsidies on bread and fuel. Two years ago, rioters also clashed with police as they tried to prevent them from arresting suspects.

Also, inter-tribal violence has been on the rise not only in Maan but elsewhere in Jordan, where tribes, who are the original inhabitants of the country, form the backbone of support for the Hashemite dynasty.

Last month, 12 students at the University of Jordan in Amman were injured in a brawl in connection with student elections.

"Social unrest is raising the alarm bells in society and indicates that the public is losing its faith in the leaders of their society," said Hussein al Khozahe, a sociologist in Al Balqa Applied University in Salt.



In 2009, the kingdom suffered its worst economic performance since an economic crisis in 1989, when it was forced to seek help from the International Monetary Fund. The downturn is making it more difficult for the state to satisfy demands of Jordanians for state jobs as proceeds from foreign aid and tax revenues have shrunk, analysts say.

Source: The National

Snapshot: Iraqi Christians in Jordan

Source: Reuters