Daybreak: Tensions Up After West Bank Deaths
Plus Alan Grayson goes unquietly, and more in the news
January 03, 2011
Alan Grayson.(NYT)
• A Palestinian woman, 36, died from Israeli-fired tear gas during an anti-separation barrier protest in the West Bank town of Bilin, a hotbed of such protests. She was the sister of a prominent activist who died during a protest in 2009. [NYT]
• A Palestinian man holding a glass bottle was killed yesterday by Israeli soldiers as he approached a West Bank checkpoint. The IDF says he was not following standard protocol for crossings. [NYT]
• According to a Kuwaiti newspaper, there have been secret U.S.-Syrian talks over a possible peace deal with Israel, including “unprecedented Syrian cooperation.” [Haaretz]
• Former Rep. Alan Grayson, Democrat of Florida, departs the House after one term as an alternately beloved and reviled Jewish liberal lion-cub. [NYT]
• According to a WikiLeaks-leaked cable, the IDF was estimating in 2009 that Israel would have 12 minutes, tops, to prepare for a rocket launched from Iran. [Haaretz]
• A former Iranian deputy defense minister died in an Israeli jail. Except maybe he was never in Israel at all. And maybe he is still alive. [Laura Rozen]
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.
