Britannia Radio

Daily Briefing

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Donate Now | Share This Email

Featured Story Dilemma of pro-Israel groups: To talk Egypt or not The question of whether to stake a claim in the protests against 30 years of President Hosni Mubarak's autocracy is a key one for the pro-Israel lobby and pro-Israel lawmakers because of the role they have played in making Egypt one of the greatest beneficiaries of U.S. aid. Read more » Editors' Picks Israeli-occupied Egypt? Protesters in Cairo tell The Jerusalem Post that they don't feel Egypt is completely free of Israeli occupation because their troops cannot move freely in the Sinai peninsula and "there are Israeli people there all the time." Israel surrounded Given the strengthening of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas' control of Gaza and the unraveling of the Turkey-Israel alliance, an Islamist Egypt could produce the ultimate Israeli nightmare: living in a country surrounded by Iran's allies or proxies, writes Yossi Klein Halevi in The New York Times. Breaking News Four Israeli journalists were arrested in Cairo as anti-government protests in Egypt turned violent. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he would not run again and pledged a peaceful transition to his successor. The transition in Egypt "must begin now," President Obama said. Birthright Israel has rejected a proposed partnership trip with J Street, saying it no longer works with organizations with Israel-related political leanings. Two groups quoted in a letter from 400 rabbis criticizing the Fox News channel for Glenn Beck's Holocaust references disassociated themselves from the letter. Some 150 Mideast Muslim leaders, as well as Jewish clergy and Christian representatives, visited Auschwitz together. A Tunisian synagogue was not the target of arsonists, a Jewish leader asserted, contradicting another leader. An inmate in Montana Women's Prison is suing the state corrections office and prison officials for not providing her with kosher food. The Knesset House Committee approved the establishment of parliamentary panels to probe the funding and activities of left-leaning human rights groups and NGOs. The appointment of Israel's new military chief of staff has been canceled because of a scandal over personal real estate. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is writing a policy book. Senate Democrats urged Republicans to reject a colleague's call for an end to foreign aid, including aid to Israel. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, will visit Israel.