The End of the Beginning…

In the end McBarak wasn’t slain but resigned and fled to some resort in Egypt. May the Egyptian people at some point successfully prosecute the former tyrant and grant him his wish of dying on the soil of (an) Egypt(ian prison cell).

The Arab 21st century renaissance started in Tunis but it won’t end in Cairo. As John Simpson noted last night (paraphrasing rather generously from memory): ‘If I was the leader of several ME countries (like Jordan, Algiers, Saudi, Syria or Iran) right now, the sound of Egyptian cars honking their horns in support of the revolution would probably haunt me at night and cause me troubled sleep…’

Ynetnews – or... ‘Zionists freaking out’, dixit As’ad AbuKhalil:

"As long as we had Mubarak, there was no void in our relations with the region. Now we're in big trouble," he said.

Israel, Mazel said, had many reasons for concern. "From a strategic point of view, Israel is now facing a hostile situation. It's over, there is no one left to lead the pragmatic, moderate state."

[Still holding on to the old linguistic paradigm, eh Mazel? Dictators/repressive regimes/whatever in the service of t’Empire are… moderate??? My edit]

Mazel said it could take time before a new government was established in Egypt.

"The familiar governmental framework of the past 30 years has dissolved, and it will take a year or two or three before a new regime rises to power.

"The next stage is disbanding parliament, as the people won't accept a parliament based on fraud, and holding new elections. Naturally, the opposition will also want to run in these elections and will ask for a longer period of time to gain recognition. The Muslim Brotherhood will take action as well, of course."

Although previously Mazel (but not Tov…) uttered something incomprehensible:

"It's over, Egypt is no longer a superpower," former Israeli Ambassador to Cairo Zvi Mazel told Ynet. "Egypt has completely lost its status in the area, […]."

Jews sans Frontieres (Gabriel Ash) reacts:

Oh Tel Aviv, don't cry! Dictators come and go. The Empire giveth and the people taketh away. It is unwise to get too emotionally attached. If you allow me to paraphrase an old Midrash:

The colonialist arrives to the new land with a closed fist, as if to say, "this is all mine," but will leave with an open palm, as if to say "I took nothing with me," not even wisdom.

Light relief: Sulayman poops his pants…