A bomb went off on a bus in Bat Yam- (directly south of Tel Aviv) this afternoon. Luckily, passengers on the bus spotted the bomb and told the bus driver, who immediately pulled over and evacuated the bus. The bomb went off as the police arrived. This is the first case of a bus bomb in a little over a year. There was a similar small scale bus bombing last November.
Is this the beginning of a trend? There is no way to know. One high police official said this is the natural reaction to peace negotiations that are making progress. Hopefully, he knows something that the rest of us do not. It's certainly impossible to predict the future. However, it is clear that despite the relative quiet we have been experiencing, it necessary to remain alert. There are times I actually believe there is too little security on a day-to-day basis. Or it just might be that a graying, middle aged guy of European lineage is not any one's image of a bomber suspect– and as a result, I never get a second look regardless of what I might be carrying.
The major news in Israel today was the report of a group of 14 years old boys who had sex with a 12 year old girl. They have all been arrested. The media has been full of discussions on what the causes of this incident, and what are its implications. The crime was not reported. Rather, the police obtained a copy of a video the boys were circulating around the school where the incident took place.
Today, an Egyptian court sentenced 3 secular protestors to three years in jail for protesting against some of the restrictions that the Egytpian military has placed on civil discourse. Those jailed today are some of the original secular protestors who brought down the Mubarak regime. Egypt seems to have come full circle. It is sad.
Finally, 42 people were killed in a Syrain air attack on Aleppo– almost all civilians. Though it seems that the world could not care less.
