Internet Filtering in the United Arab Emirates- What you see if you hit a forbidden site
The full list of prohibited content is here. Removal requests for the UAE firewall can be submitted here.
Why Israel will bomb Iran
It is nigh on inevitable. And both history and events suggest it is on the cards.
7 June 1981, Israel bombed the French-built Osiraq nuclear plant near Iraq's capital, Baghdad.
6 September 2007, Israeli jets allegedly* targeted a site that Israeli and American intelligence analysts judged was a partly constructed nuclear reactor.
* "Allegedly", because Syria never confirmed the attack nor what was actually hit.
History has shown that whenever it felt under threat of an enemy acquiring hostile nuclear capability, Israel has attacked without delay.
On Friday Shaul Mofaz, a former defence minister and chief of staff, said in an interview to Israel's Yediot Ahronot newspaper: "If Iran continues its nuclear-arms program, we will attack it."
Israelis do not trust what their politicians say, and especially so with the prospect of their Prime Minister stepping down on corruption allegations, but there are two aspects of this story that make it all the more ominous:
1. Israelis feel increasingly threatened by Iran's nuclear programme, and doubly so after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, in October 2005, that "Israel must be wiped off the map". The mood of Israelis I've spoken to is akin to that of US citizens during the cold war, with a nuclear attack a tangible possibility, and the panic of "Duck and Cover" drills. The Knesset (Israeli Parliament) is aware of this undercurrent, and will not hesitate to act, as it did in the past.
2. Although The comments made by Mofaz are viewed by many as political positioning for his own promotion (in preparation for a possible departure of PM Ehud Olmert), Israelis also know that Mofaz is one of the army's elite. Even in his current position as Minister of Transport, he is still a former Chief of Staff, and is closer than anyone to the army intelligence's views on these matters. In a country where the military is so close to the political, his background gives him an insight into the frame-of-mind and field-thinking of the Military Intelligence.
No one in Israel doubts that the threats made by Mofaz are real. If anything, the only reason why the attack may not happen right away is because Mofaz is not foolish enough to warn Iran just before an attack, thus allowing it to redistribute its arsenal and move core equipment to safer silo locations.
He probably also realises now, that the US is going to be a little more 'difficult' on this one (The term WMD is a tad sensitive), but if worse comes to worse, the US is likely to give Israel the nod-and-wink treatment, while 'condemning' it publically after the attack.
And how are Israelis reacting? One comment to the article on the Yediot Ahronot website captures the spirit of many other responses:
"Don't Talk [About it]
It's a pity that Mofaz is talking nonsense, as usual - We shouldn't talk about these things, as we never used to in the past, when there were less media around. These days every kid in search of a headline expresses his views on critical matters like Iran's nuclear capability.
Don't talk -Act..." (source).
Israel holds peace talks with Syria – On the politics of kiss and tell – and why they’re going to blow it
The announcement of peace talks between Israel and Syria gave me the shivers. Not because I don't want the two to finally achieve peace. The problem isn't the talks - it's the announcement.
As I trawl through both Syrian and Israeli comments on media sites (for example user comments to articles in Syria News and Ha'aretz, [sorry - both in the original]), the raw responses show the same old cynicism on both sides and a basic mistrust: of the other side, of the process and of the politicians. It's the old scepticism of even a chance of peace, battered into the region's peoples by years of disappointment.
And every now and again, between the disparaging comments, someone would say: maybe this time, just maybe...
And 'maybe just maybe' indeed, except, the chances of anything happening this time around have just been reduced dramatically - and all because the politicians had to kiss and tell.
According to Israel's Ha'aretz newspaper, negotiations have been ongoing for over a year. In the eyes of many cynical Israelis, the reason for the announcement today was a wounded Prime Minister Olmert, trying to shift the attention away from allegations of his involvement in dodgy money transfers.
But here is the real problem: No matter the opinions and views either side, whenever there is any shred of a chance for dialogue, you can guarantee someone will escalate the situation to ensure it dies a death. Radicals in Israel and Syria wouldn't want hostilities to end. Iran, the sponsor of Hizbullah in Lebanon, certainly would not like its ally, Syria, to reach even a semblance of peace with Israel - and no one is better placed than it to inflame the situation around the Lebanese-Israeli border. Enemies of peace will fall over themselves to sabotage this effort. They are ten-a-penny in the Middle East, and I forsee Katyusha rockets landing near Kiryat Shmona and Palestinian escalation any day now.
When Egypt's Anwar Al-Saddat made his historic visit to Israel in 1977 to open peace negotiations with Menachem Begin's government, the surprise tactic was part of the momentum. The two nations watched with amazement as two gutsy leaders did the unthinkable. The world was stunned. No doubt significant preparation and covert negotiations prepared the ground for the event, but it had all been done on the hush, and rightly so. Peace was achieved through diplomacy, not PR.
On this occasion, I think it's safe to say that peace has lost a round. I just hope that something would be achieved - or that maybe, just maybe, I'll be proven wrong.
Page3 of The Sun – Breasts, Dubai Style
Cover 'em up love!
I just had to share this one: if you get The Sun newspaper in Dubai, you'll find that all Page3 breasts are covered by what looks like a thick black marker.
Of course, this is done to guard the modesty of the model, and I'm sure Danni, 22, from Coventry would be delighted (she supports David Beckham's efforts to stamp out malaria, by the way).