19 July 2008

Stories from 19 July 2008

Israel: Why did Israel Approve the Hezbollah Deal?

A day after the controversial deal with Hezbollah, many Israelis are still puzzled and disappointed. Puzzled over why their government accepted the terms of this deal, knowing that the kidnapped soldiers were not alive. How did the government and security entities approve handing back live prisoners with blood on their hands for dead bodies?

Bolivia: Blogging from El Alto

  19 July 2008

Mario Durán of Palabras Libres [es], who has been blogging for the past three years from El Alto, Bolivia, writes about how he started his personal blog and other projects.

Tunisia: Where are the State Funerals?

Eight Tunisians were among the 197 bodies handed over by Israel to Lebanon, in the latest prisoner swap between the two countries. Tunisian bloggers are calling for the return of their remains to their country - and honouring the dead in a state funeral.

Equatorial Guinea: On Simon Mann's sentencing

  19 July 2008

Kate Cronin-Furman of the blog Wronging Rights, comments on Equatorial Guinea's last week sentencing to 34 years in jail of Simon Mann for his role “in the World's Most Ill-Conceived Coup Attempt on Record. He, along with roughly 70 other foreign nationals, had been arrested in the Harare (Zimbabwe) airport...

Saudi Arabia: Death on Roads

New traffic laws have been introduced in Saudi Arabia. Yet, according to Sabra: “A ‘weekend traffic rush’ resulted in three traffic accidents Wednesday night wherein NINE people have died and thirteen others were injured.”

Israel: Change the Government

“(W)e must change our government now – and change the way we deal with the issue of our kidnapped soldiers and the terrorists we have in our prisons,” writes Chik-Chat from Jerusalem, in response to the prisoner swap conducted between Israel and Lebanon.

Israel: ‘Kuntar Not a Victim’

Israeli Carl in Jerusalem criticizes the coverage of the New York Times of Lebanese Samir Kuntar's release. “Wednesday's New York Times included an appalling, sickening article in which the ‘gray lady’ attempted to turn Lebanese mass murderer Samir al-Kuntar – who bashed in the head of 4-year old Einat Haran...