March 14, 2012- Syrian Revolt One Year Old, Missiles Fired at Beersheva Tonight

Today marked the first anniversary of the uprising in Syria. Much to everyone's surprise, Assad is still in power. Before this latest uprising many questioned whether it was possible in this day an age, with cell phone cameras and hand-held satellite communication for a dictator to kill his people without terrible consequences. The answer is clearly, yes. The spectacle of Kofi Anan meeting with Assad to negotiate some sort of agreement was almost bloodcurdling.

In the last few days we have seen an increase in the level of brutality in Syria. That brutality is how Assad has survived. He has mamanged to turn the conflict into a Sunni vs. Alwaite contest. As a result, he has received overhwhelming support from his army leadership, all of whom are Alawite. That is why the conflict has become so bloody, with so many disfigured bodies. The brutality in Syria has reached a level of hatred that only religious-ethnic conflicts can achieve. To an Israeli public that has become more and more cynical of Arab intentions, over the course of the past decade, events in Syria are just another nail in the coffin of the dream for peace. The actions of Hamas have of course been most of the other nails. See the article by Carlo Stenger, entitled: "Open Letter to Hamas: You are responsible for your people's fate"

The Israeli press widely covered a story in a Russian newspaper today stating that during her recent visit to Moscow, US Secretary of Stare Hilary Clinton asked the Russians to pass on a message to the Iranians, that either they come to the table with a serious offer to bring their nuclear program under supervision, or they will be bombed by the end of the year. Maybe its just wishful thinking, but Israeli observers are no longer discounting the possibility that the United States might actually attack Iran, if the US became convinced that sanctions had failed.

Since I started writing tonights update three missiles were fired on Beersheva. Two were intercepted and a third fell on an open field. Tomorrow the children of Beersheva will be having another missile day.

I thought our readers might be interested in this story, provided by the US Defense Department called: Rabbi Ministers Across Afghanistan